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Despite strict Israeli restrictions, approximately 90,000 Palestinian worshipers gathered for the first Friday prayers of Ramadan at the Al-Aqsa Mosque in the occupied East Jerusalem.
“Around 90,000 worshipers attended Friday prayers at Al-Aqsa Mosque,” Sheikh Azzam al-Khatib, director-general of the Islamic Waqf in Jerusalem, told Anadolu.
Israeli police forces were heavily deployed around the mosque and throughout the Old City of Jerusalem to restrict the entry of worshipers.
On Thursday, Israeli police announced that 3,000 officers would be stationed across East Jerusalem on Friday.
Israeli authorities also imposed severe restrictions on worshipers from the occupied West Bank attempting to reach Jerusalem.
Eyewitnesses told Anadolu that the Israeli army prevented tens of thousands of Palestinians from crossing military checkpoints surrounding Jerusalem to reach Al-Aqsa.
On Thursday, the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office announced that only men over 55, women over 50, and children under 12 would be allowed to enter the mosque. Worshipers were also required to obtain prior security clearance and undergo extensive checks at designated crossings.
Despite these measures, Palestinians from Jerusalem and Arab towns inside Israel made their way to the mosque. Volunteer groups, including Al-Aqsa guards, scouts, and security teams, assisted worshipers.
During the sermon, Muhammad Salim Muhammad Ali, the Friday preacher of Al-Aqsa Mosque, praised worshipers for their determination to reach the mosque despite Israeli restrictions and urged further efforts to protect and frequent the holy site.
At the end of the prayers, worshipers held absentee funeral prayers for the souls of Palestinians killed by Israeli forces in Gaza and the occupied West Bank.
Since the outbreak of the war on Gaza on Oct. 7, 2023, Israeli authorities have imposed strict measures limiting Palestinians’ access from the West Bank to East Jerusalem.
Palestinians consider these restrictions as part of Israel’s broader efforts to Judaize East Jerusalem, including the Al-Aqsa Mosque, and erase its Arab and Islamic identity according to Anadolu.
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