LONDON: Israeli authorities have issued six-month bans to seven Palestinians, prohibiting their access to Al-Aqsa Mosque and its vicinity in the walled city of occupied East Jerusalem.

One of them, Samer Abu Quwaider, works as a guard at the compound, while the others are East Jerusalem residents, the Palestine News Agency reported.

Authorities told them of the decision through WhatsApp messages outlining areas they are prohibited from entering, including routes leading to Al-Aqsa, according to the Palestinian Authority’s affiliated Jerusalem Governorate.

The bans come amid increased calls by Israeli groups for settlers to tour the site during the Jewish holiday season, which began last week. Israeli authorities have imposed similar restrictions in the past on Palestinians who objected to settlers’ incursions into Al-Aqsa.

About 240 Israeli settlers entered the site on the last day of the Jewish New Year on Sunday. Israelis will be observing Yom Kippur — the most important day in the Jewish calendar — on Sunday and Monday.

Al-Aqsa compound, Islam’s third-holiest site, also known as Al-Haram Al-Sharif, has been the site of frequent conflicts, including raids by Israeli settlers and restrictions on Muslim worshippers, since East Jerusalem was occupied in 1967.

Settlers, who refer to the area as the Temple Mount, seek to establish a presence in the compound to perform Jewish prayers at certain times. Several far-right ministers and Knesset members in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition government have publicly endorsed the plans.