Israelis storm Al-Aqsa Mosque ahead of provocative 'Flag March'

Hundreds of Israelis have stormed Al-Aqsa Mosque, under heavy protection from Israeli police, ahead of the far-right annual "flag march" through occupied East Jerusalem. 

Around 800 Israelis raided the mosque on Wednesday morning, entering through the Moroccan Gate, according to a report by Wafa news agency. 

They took provocative tours of the compound, the report stated, and were joined by rabbis and Moshe Feiglin a far-right former MP. 

The Israelis performed Jewish rituals near al-Qattanin market and Bab al-Qattanin (The Cotton Merchants' Gate), one of the main entrances to the mosque's courtyards.

Al-Aqsa Mosque is an Islamic site where unsolicited visits, prayers and rituals by non-Muslims are forbidden, according to decades-long international agreements. 

READ MORE: Israelis storm Al-Aqsa Mosque ahead of provocative 'Flag March'