OCCUPIED JERUSALEM, (Palestine Foundation Information Center), Tens of thousands of Palestinians performed Friday prayer at the Aqsa Mosque compound in Occupied Jerusalem despite strict restrictions imposed by Israeli forces at the entrances to the Mosque and the Old City.
Jerusalem sources said around 70,000 worshipers were able to attend Friday prayer at Aqsa, with hundreds of residents from the Old City and across Occupied Jerusalem making their way to the Mosque despite heightened Israeli security measures.
Israeli police were heavily deployed throughout the Old City and at the gates of Aqsa Mosque, where officers checked worshipers’ identification cards and turned back dozens of young men. Elderly worshipers were allowed to enter only after undergoing stringent security checks.
The large turnout came amid continued Palestinian calls to increase attendance, maintain a presence at Aqsa, and perform prayers there in response to escalating violations by Israeli authorities and settlers, as well as ongoing efforts to impose a new Judaization reality at the holy site.
On Thursday, the Aqsa Mosque witnessed another incident after a Jewish settler proposed marriage to a female settler inside the Mosque compound while Hebrew rituals were performed, accompanied by celebratory ululations and under the protection of Israeli forces.
During the first half of 2026, Aqsa Mosque recorded a sharp increase in Israeli incursions and violations. A total of 25,604 Jewish settlers entered the compound, while 524,912 additional settlers entered under the guise of what Israeli authorities describe as “tourism.”
Palestinian organizations continue to warn of escalating Israeli measures aimed at imposing a new Judaization reality in Occupied Jerusalem and at Aqsa Mosque.
According to the Palestine Information Center “Mu’ta”, more than 8,900 Jewish settlers stormed the Aqsa compound in June alone. The center also documented 20 incidents of desecration at the Mosque, as well as two expulsion orders issued against Palestinian worshipers and those maintaining a protective presence at the site.
