Ramallah: Hundreds of people under the protection of Israeli police stormed the al-Aqsa compound in East Jerusalem for the second day, raising tensions during the Jewish New Year.

Dozens of Palestinian men and women stayed inside to protect al-Aqsa as police barred anyone under the age of 40 from entering, sent officers on horses, and used drones to monitor the grounds.

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Despite the restrictions, dozens of Muslims were able to pray before dawn, just before the settlers arrived.

At least two Palestinians were arrested for using religious chants to disrupt New Year's rituals in the compound's courtyard.

According to a Palestinian security official, Israeli police had deployed large numbers throughout East Jerusalem and banned worshipers as a good tactic to quell the protests.

"The number of Israeli police escorting the infiltrating settlers is equal to the number of settlers," he said, adding that Palestinians "reject the humiliation of al-Aqsa by the settlers."

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He said the massive police operation was aimed at discouraging Palestinians from sending their children to al-Aqsa, but warned that the situation could flare up if someone was attacked or killed by police.

According to the official, the Israeli police did not seek coordination with the Palestinian security services.

Meanwhile, Major General Yaakov Shabtai, the Israeli police chief, visited the mosque along with several officers.

According to the Palestinian Foreign Ministry, turning the area around al-Aqsa into a virtual military barracks and banning Muslim worshipers is "the equivalent of forcibly recapturing the holy city of Jerusalem and its old city."

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It warned about the dangers of "gradual Zionization" of the mosque and its courtyards, calling such actions a threat to the beliefs of millions of Muslims and the "legal and legitimate right" of the Islamic Awqaf Department to "monitor the movement of worshippers". Called it a "coercive attack". ,

Meanwhile, Palestinians were outraged by President Mahmoud Abbas's greetings on the Jewish New Year to Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz.

During a phone call, Gantz asked Abbas to ensure that Palestinian security forces did everything possible to prevent escalation into the West Bank during the New Year's holiday.

According to a Fatah member in Ramallah, "Abbas did not surrender Jerusalem during his call with Gantz." It was nothing but a courtesy call."