About 200 Israeli settlers on Sunday stormed al-Aqsa Mosque under heavy police protection.
The Jerusalem Islamic Awqaf Department said that 152 settlers broke into al-Aqsa Mosque from al-Maghareba Gate during the first round of incursions which started at 7:00 am and performed Talmudic rituals there.
It added that 47 Israeli soldiers entered the Mosque and toured its courtyards during the same period.
A settler website named Temple Mount News announced that nearly 12000 Israeli settlers have visited al-Aqsa Mosque since September 2017.
The website added that this increase in the number of settlers is 50% higher that the number documented in 2016.
It pointed out that 1500 Israeli settlers have carried out incursions into the holy site since the beginning of March 2018.
