OCCUPIED JERUSALEM, (Palestine Foundation Information Center), Tens of thousands of Palestinians performed Friday prayer at the Aqsa Mosque despite tight restrictions and security measures imposed by Israeli forces around the Mosque compound and Occupied Jerusalem.
Local Jerusalem sources said thousands of worshipers were able to reach Aqsa, with large numbers arriving from the Old City and across Jerusalem despite heightened Israeli restrictions at the Mosque’s entrances.
Israeli police checked the identities of worshipers and imposed strict entry restrictions, turning back dozens of young men while allowing older Palestinians to enter only after thorough security searches.
According to local sources, Israeli police arrested Mohammed Zughair at Bab Al-Majlis (Council Gate) as he attempted to enter the Aqsa Mosque.
Jerusalem-based organizations issued widespread calls urging Palestinians to attend the Friday prayer in large numbers to help protect Aqsa Mosque, defend its Islamic and Arab identity, and counter Israeli measures targeting the holy site.
The appeals urged Palestinians in Occupied Jerusalem, Palestinian citizens of Israel, and those in the occupied West Bank who can reach the Mosque to maintain a strong and continuous presence in its courtyards.
The organizations said the campaign aims to reaffirm the Mosque’s exclusively Islamic identity amid ongoing Israeli efforts to alter Jerusalem’s historical and cultural character and distort its historical narrative.
Israeli incursions into the Aqsa Mosque intensified during the first half of 2026, with 25,604 Jewish settlers storming the compound, in addition to 524,912 other visitors admitted under the designation of “tourism.”
Palestinian officials and organizations have continued to warn of escalating Israeli measures aimed at imposing a new Judaization reality in Occupied Jerusalem and at the Aqsa Mosque.
