Jerusalem, (AG/IINA) : Dozens of Israeli settlers on Sunday broke into al-Aqsa Mosque compound in Jerusalem, under heavy protection of Israeli police, WAFA reported.

A group of 53 settlers provocatively toured the holy site, while Palestinian worshippers chanted religious slogans to protest their repeated provocative visit. Israeli Jewish settlers organize provocative visits to the Islamic holy site almost on a daily basis.

The site witnessed recurrent clashes in recent years between Muslim worshippers and Israeli police, most frequently due to provocative visits by Jewish extremists who believe the mosque should be destroyed and replaced with a Jewish temple.

According to statistics released by the Jordan-run Islamic Awqaf Department, 14,806 Israeli Jewish settlers broke into al-Aqsa mosque in 2016 alone.