Scores of Israeli settlers on Thursday forced their way into East Jerusalem's flashpoint Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, according to a Palestinian official.
Firas al-Dibs, a spokesman for the Jerusalem Islamic Waqf --a Jordan-run agency tasked with overseeing the city's Islamic sites--, said 174 Jewish settlers had forced their way into the compound through the Al-Mugharbah Gate.
According to al-Dibs, settlers were accompanied by at least 15 Israeli policemen.
"They did a quick tour of the compound, passing by the Al-Qibali and Dome of the Rock mosques before departing through the Al-Silsila Gate," he said.
Tension has mounted in the Palestinian territories -- including occupied East Jerusalem, where the Al-Aqsa is located -- since U.S. President Donald Trump recognized Jerusalem as Israel's capital on Dec. 6.
For Muslims, the Al-Aqsa represents the world's third holiest site. Jews, for their part, refer to the area as the "Temple Mount", claiming it was the site of two Jewish temples in ancient times.
Israel occupied East Jerusalem during the 1967 Middle East War. It annexed the entire city in 1980, claiming it as the capital of the Jewish state in a move never recognized by the international community.
Last week, the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution calling on the U.S. to withdraw its recognition of the flashpoint city as Israel's capital.
