OCCUPIED JERUSALEM, (The Palestine Foundation Pakistan)Tens of thousands of Palestinians performed Friday prayer at the Aqsa Mosque and its courtyards amid heavy Israeli restrictions imposed on Palestinian worshipers’ access into the holy site.
According to the Islamic Waqf Department in Jerusalem, 50,000 worshipers attended Friday prayer at Aqsa Mosque.
Local sources reported that the Israeli police forces obstructed residents’ access to the Aqsa Mosque through Bab Al-Asbat, Bab Al-Sahira, and Bab Al-Amoud by installing iron barriers.
Israeli forces also imposed strict limitations on access to the Mosque, setting up iron barriers across city streets and near the Old City and the Mosque entrances.
Dozens of young men were stopped at the gates of the Old City, their IDs checked, and many were prevented from reaching the Mosque to perform prayers.
At Bab Al-Asbat, one of the entrances to the Old City, Israeli forces assaulted worshipers, including a young man who was denied entry to the Mosque and sustained bruises and facial injuries.
During the Friday sermon, Sheikh Yusuf Abu Sunaynah emphasized the importance of the Aqsa Mosque to all Muslims. He called on worshipers to preserve and maintain it, pray there regularly, and remain steadfast in holding onto the land and holy sites.
