Jerusalem: Israel's far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir stormed the courtyards of the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound on Thursday evening under heavy security protection, according to the Jerusalem Governorate.
According to Palestine News and Information Agency, the governorate reported that Ben-Gvir raised the Israeli flag inside the compound and engaged in provocative acts and dances during the incursion. This event coincided with an increase in settler raids into the mosque compound during the so-called 'Jerusalem Day.'
Meanwhile, Israeli forces closed the Bab al-Sahira area in occupied Jerusalem as a heavy deployment of police was observed ahead of the Israeli flag-flying march in the Old City. Settlers also performed dances and provocative acts in the city's neighborhoods and markets as they moved through the area before the march began.