Hundreds of Israeli settlers entered the courtyards of Jerusalem’s revered Al-Aqsa Mosque compound on Sunday under heavy police protection, in a move that drew renewed concern over escalating tensions at the holy site.

According to Islamic Waqf officials in Jerusalem, 199 settlers entered the compound through the Mughrabi Gate and toured various areas of the site. Witnesses reported that groups of settlers performed religious rituals in the eastern section of the compound, while some raised the Israeli flag and sang the Israeli national anthem within its grounds.

Photographs were also taken near the western colonnades of the mosque complex during the visits. Palestinian worshippers meanwhile faced tightened security measures, with Israeli police imposing additional restrictions at entry points and reportedly confiscating identity documents from some visitors seeking access to the site.

The latest incursion comes amid ongoing Palestinian calls for increased attendance at Al-Aqsa Mosque, as concerns grow over efforts to alter the longstanding status quo governing the compound and expand Israeli control over Islamic holy sites in occupied East Jerusalem.