In a statement on Sunday, the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs called for an immediate halt to the ongoing escalation, especially during the holy month of Ramadan and the Christian and Jewish feasts.

Foreign Ministry Spokesman Ahmed Hafez warned against “slipping into cycles of violence that preclude the desired stability and perpetuate the climate of tension that will only lead to more mutual escalation.”

Hafez highlighted the need for adherence to the rules of international law to provide the required protection for Palestinian civilians.

The spokesman also called for stopping any practices that violate the sanctity of Al-Aqsa Mosque and other religious sanctities as well as the identity of East Jerusalem city.

Early Thursday, hardline Israeli lawmaker Itamar Ben Gvir along with a number of settlers entered Al-Aqsa Mosque yard escorted by heavy security in a clear act of provocation.

Dozens of Israeli settlers also stormed the mosque on Sunday, which marks the second day of the holy month of Ramadan, under heavy police protection, the Palestinian news agency WAFA reported.

During his Thursday tour, Gvir said that his visit seeks to deliver a message for the Israeli state to “not give in to those terrorists who want to murder us all.”

He called Hamas and the Waqf Muslim authorities who administer the religious sites in the area “terrorists,” saying “whoever controls the Temple Mount controls the land of Israel,” Times of Israel reported.

Gvir, whose similar visits to sensitive parts in Jerusalem are believed to have a role in the Israeli aggression on Gaza enclave in May last year, led a march in Sheikh Jarrah neighbourhood under police protection last month.

The Israeli bombing campaign of Gaza – the most serious Israeli assault on the strip since 2014 – killed more than 250 Palestinians, destroyed 2,000 residential and commercial buildings, and left thousands homeless.

Egypt brokered a ceasefire in May to end the 11-day aggression and has sent high-level security delegations to the Israeli and Palestinian territories over the past year to ensure the ceasefire would not be breached in the future.

Egypt has also highlighted the need for the revival of the Israeli-Palestinian peace talks and the implementation of the two-state solution that involves the establishment of an independent Palestinian state along the 1967 borders as the only way to achieve lasting peace in the Middle East.

Egypt has repeatedly condemned the Israeli unilateral measures in Palestine, including attempts to evict Palestinians in Sheikh Jarrah and plans to build new settlements in the occupied West Bank.

Egypt has warned that such steps undermine the chances of the two-state solution at a time when a number of international parties are exerting tireless efforts to revive the negotiations path between the Palestinian and Israeli sides.