Defying restrictions imposed by Israel, hundreds of thousands of Palestinians from the Occupied West Bank marched to the Al-Aqsa Mosque for prayers on the second Friday of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, Anadolu News Agency reports.
“About 250,000 mourners offered prayers on Friday at the Al-Aqsa Mosque,” said Sheikh Azzam Al-Khatib, head of the Islamic Endowments Department in Jerusalem. Anadolu.
The figure was much higher than last week’s 100,000.
Crowds began gathering from the early hours of the day, and Israeli authorities said 2,000 security personnel were deployed in East Jerusalem.
In his sermon, Mohammad Ahmad Hussein, the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem, warned of Israel’s plans to target the Al-Aqsa Mosque during Passover, which will be marked between April 5-12.
Israeli forces have banned West Bank men under the age of 55 from entering the Al-Aqsa Mosque.
Israel has announced that it will only allow women, children and men over 55 to enter the Al-Aqsa Mosque without a permit during Ramadan.
A very small number of people from the Gaza Strip have been allowed to enter East Jerusalem during the holy month.
Al-Aqsa Mosque is the third holiest site in the world for Muslims. Jews call the area the “Temple Mount”, claiming it was the site of two Jewish temples in ancient times.
Israel occupied East Jerusalem, where Al-Aqsa is located, during the 1967 Arab-Israeli War. It annexed the entire city in 1980, a move never recognized by the international community.
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