°®Âþµº

Hundreds of Israelis stormed Jerusalem's al-Aqsa Mosque compound on Sunday, under the eyes of Israeli guards, local Palestinain sources said.

The Palestinian Authority official news agency WAFA said more that more than 200 Israeli settlers broke into the holy site in groups and were protected by Israeli forces.

More Israelis joined the settlers throughout the day, until around a thousand activists occupied the East Jerusalem holy site.

Israeli police deployed at the gates leading to the holy compound and checking the IDs of Muslim worshipers before they were allowed to the mosque on the site.

The occupation coincided with the anniversary of the ancient destruction of Jewish temples on the site, referred to in Israel as Tisha B'av.

Israeli forces also arrested a Palestinian boy after he waved a Palestinian flag inside the compound during the storming.

Video footage emerged of a Palestinian boy being detained after raising the flag of Palestine above his head. 

The boy, whose age is unknown but appeared to be in his early teens, was taken away by Israeli forces.

It is unclear whether he has been released.

Custodianship of Haram al-Sharif - or Temple Mount - is central to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, with Palestinians fearing Israel may one day seek to assert further control over the holy site.

It is located in East Jerusalem, occupied by Israel in 1967 and later annexed in a move never recognised by the international community.