The Israeli police commissioner in occupied Jerusalem, along with dozens of Israeli settlers, stormed the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, on Tuesday, under armed protection by Israeli forces and police, for the fourth day of the Jewish holiday of Passover, also known as Pesach.

Head of the public relations office at the Islamic Endowment Department, Firas al-Dibs, confirmed that some 237 Israeli settlers stormed the compound through the Moroccan Gate since the early hours of Sunday and throughout the afternoon.

Al-Dibs added that the Israeli police commissioner in Jerusalem, along with officers in the Old City of Jerusalem raided and toured the compound.

Witnesses said that Israeli settlers attempted to perform religious rituals and prayers inside the compound, while dozens prayed at the Chain Gate, one of the Al-Aqsa gates.

Such visits spark frustration among Palestinians who see the incursions as a direct threat to Palestinian sovereignty and any potential for a future independent Palestinian state, which has been effectively marred by increasing settler presence across Palestinian land.

The Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, which sits just above the Western Wall plaza, houses both the Dome of the Rock and Al-Aqsa mosque, the third holiest site in Islam, it is also venerated as Judaism’s most holy place, as it sits where Jews believe the First and Second Temples once stood.

While Jewish visitation is permitted to the compound, non-Muslim worship at Al-Aqsa is prohibited according to an agreement signed between Israel and the Jordanian government after Israel’s illegal occupation of East Jerusalem in 1967.

Despite the agreement with Jordan — which is the custodian of Al-Aqsa — Israeli authorities regularly allow Jewish visitors to enter the site, often under armed guard. Such visits are typically made by right-wingers attempting to unsettle the status quo at the site, and coincide with restrictions on Palestinian access, including bans on entrance and detentions.