Israeli settlers storm Al-Aqsa mosque under heavy police protection

Dozens of Israeli settlers stormed the courtyards of Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied East Jerusalem on Thursday, escorted by heavily armed Israeli police.

Witnesses told the Palestinian news agency Wafa that settlers entered the site in groups, staged provocative tours and carried out provocative rituals as Israeli forces guarded them throughout the incursion.

The repeated settler raids - often backed by state forces - have fuelled tensions across the occupied Palestinian territories, with Palestinians viewing them as part of a broader plan to Judaise the sacred site.