OCCUPIED JERUSALEM (Palestine Foundation Information Center) Thousands of Palestinian worshipers performed Friday prayer in the Aqsa Mosque in occupied Jerusalem amidst tight Israeli restrictions.
The Islamic Endowment Authority affirmed that around 50,000 Muslims performed the Friday prayer at the holy shrine.
Police forces also obstructed Muslim worshipers’ entry to the Aqsa Mosque through its gates, where they stopped, in particular, many young men and checked their IDs.
Meanwhile, a number of Jerusalemite men and women, who were barred from entering the Mosque, had to perform the Friday prayer in nearby streets.
The Israeli forces also arrested and violently assaulted a young man near Bab al-Asbat.
Israeli occupation forces (IOF) impose strict restrictions on the entry of worshipers to the Aqsa Mosque, especially on Fridays, preventing thousands of citizens from the West Bank from reaching Jerusalem to perform prayers at the Mosque, as they require the issuance of special permits to cross IOF military checkpoints surrounding the holy city.
Since the start of the Israeli aggression in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, in October 2023, Israeli occupation forces and police have been tightening security measures at the gates of the Aqsa Mosque and the entrances of the Old City.
