Occupied Jerusalem, May 14 (QNA) - Israel's National Security Minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir on Wednesday stormed the courtyards of Al-Aqsa Mosque compound under heavy police protection.

Palestine's news agency (WAFA), citing the Jerusalem Governorate, reported that Ben-Gvir raised the Israeli flag and carried out provocative acts and dances inside the mosque compound. The incident coincided with an escalation in settler incursions into Al-Aqsa during the so-called "Jerusalem Day."

Meanwhile, Israeli occupation forces closed Bab al-Sahira area in occupied Jerusalem and deployed large numbers of police ahead of the provocative "Flag March" in the Old City. Settlers also stormed several neighborhoods and markets in the Old City, where they performed dances and other provocative acts before the march began.

The Jerusalem Governorate noted that settler incursions into Al-Aqsa have intensified since April last year. On April 22, Ben-Gvir stormed the mosque compound and performed Talmudic rituals alongside settlers, in what marked his fourth incursion since the beginning of this year and the 17th since taking office. (QNA)