According to a Palestinian news source, dozens of Israeli settlers broke into the Al-Aqsa Mosque complex in occupied East Jerusalem on Tuesday.

In a brief statement, the Islamic Endowment Department in Jerusalem stated 44 settlers broke inside the flashpoint site, which was monitored by Israeli police.

Every day, Israeli settlers flood the compound through the Al-Mughrabi Gate, southwest of the mosque, in the morning and afternoon.

Despite repeated condemnations from the Islamic Endowment Department in Jerusalem, Israeli police began allowing settlement incursions in 2003.

For Muslims, the Al-Aqsa Mosque is the world's third holiest place. The region is known as the "Temple Mount," by Jews, who claim it was formerly home to two Jewish temples.

During the 1967 Arab-Israeli War, Israel captured East Jerusalem, including Al-Aqsa. In 1980, it annexed the entire city, a move that was never acknowledged by the international world.