SAFA- More than 2,300 Israeli settlers, including Israel's National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, stormed the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in occupied East Jerusalem on Thursday during the Jewish commemoration of the so-called "Temple Destruction," according to the Islamic Waqf Department in Jerusalem.

The mass incursion followed calls by extremist "Temple Mount" groups urging supporters to enter the mosque compound in large numbers to mark the occasion.

The Islamic Waqf said the settlers, accompanied by heavy Israeli police protection, entered the compound through the Moroccan Gate and carried out what it described as provocative tours across its courtyards.

The settlers performed Talmudic rituals, sang religious songs, danced, and carried out "epic prostration" in the eastern section of the mosque compound. Among those participating were Ben Gvir and Likud Knesset member Amit Halevi.

In another provocative act, several settlers raised Israeli flags in front of the Dome of the Rock during the incursions.

For the first time since Israel occupied East Jerusalem in 1967, Israeli occupation forces reportedly installed a large canopy inside the compound to provide shade for settlers participating in the incursion.

Israeli occupation forces also imposed strict restrictions on Palestinian worshippers seeking to enter Al-Aqsa Mosque. Witnesses said officers checked identification cards, prevented many Palestinians from reaching the mosque, and tightened security measures at all gates leading to the compound and throughout Jerusalem's Old City.

The Jerusalem Governorate said Israeli occupation forces maintained a heavy presence across the mosque's courtyards and continued preventing worshippers from entering.

It added that only a very limited number of Palestinians were able to reach the mosque for dawn prayers before Israeli forces reportedly assaulted several worshippers.

In the days leading up to Thursday's incursion, extremist Temple groups intensified their campaign encouraging supporters to participate in what they hoped would become the largest storming of Al-Aqsa to date. The groups distributed detailed schedules for the incursions, with entry periods from 6:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. and from 1:30 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.

The organizations said they aimed to exceed 5,000 settlers entering the compound in a single day, surpassing last year's figure of around 4,000 participants.

Meanwhile, Palestinian and 

Jerusalem-based organizations called on Palestinians in occupied Jerusalem and inside Israel to gather at Al-Aqsa Mosque and confront what they described as efforts by settlers and Israel's far-right government to impose new realities at the holy site.

Sheikh Ekrima Sabri, the preacher of Al-Aqsa Mosque, said Israeli forces have repeatedly used Jewish religious holidays to escalate incursions into the mosque and introduce new measures aimed at changing the status quo.

He said that in recent years Israeli ministers, government officials, and Knesset members have increasingly led such incursions, describing the practice as an attempt to provide political legitimacy for repeated violations at one of Islam's holiest sites.