OCCUPIED JERUSALEM, (Palestine Foundation Information Center), Tens of thousands of worshippers performed Friday prayer at the Aqsa Mosque, despite the heavy military restrictions imposed by Israeli police forces at the Mosque’s gates and the entrances of the Old City of Occupied Jerusalem.
The Islamic Waqf Department in Jerusalem estimated that around 70,000 worshippers gathered for the prayer at the holy site, even as Israeli forces closed key roads and main streets leading to the Mosque.
The police forces tightened procedures at Aqsa’s gates, inspecting the IDs of worshippers and preventing many from entering.
These severe restrictions on access to Aqsa, especially on Fridays, have become routine. Israeli authorities also continue to bar thousands of Palestinians from the West Bank from entering Jerusalem without special permits, required to pass through military checkpoints encircling the city.
Since the beginning of Israel’s genocidal assault on the Gaza Strip in October 2023, the Israeli occupation has further escalated its crackdown on access to the Aqsa Mosque and Occupied Jerusalem.
