35,000 perform Friday prayers at Al-Aqsa Mosque

Thousands of citizens performed Friday prayers at the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque, in light of the strict military measures imposed by the Israeli occupation authorities on access to the mosque. The Islamic Endowments Department in Jerusalem estimated that about 35,000 citizens performed Friday prayers in the Al-Aqsa Mosque. Eyewitnesses reported that the occupation forces deployed their checkpoints in the Old City and at Bab al-Asbat, coinciding with the arrival of citizens to perform prayers, and prevented a number of young men from entering the Al-Aqsa Mosque. Since the start of the comprehensive Israeli aggression against our people in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, including Jerusalem, in October 2023, the occupation forces have tightened their measures at the gates of Al-Aqsa Mosque and the entrances to the Old City, and sometimes prevent citizens from occupied Jerusalem or Palestinians from the 1948 territories from entering the mosque to perform prayers. They also deprive tens of thousands of citize ns from the West Bank governorates from entering Jerusalem through their military checkpoints surrounding the city. Source: Maan News Agency