For the tenth Friday since the beginning of the war on the Gaza Strip on October 7, the restrictions imposed by the Israeli occupation have prevented tens of thousands of Palestinians from performing Friday prayers in Al-Aqsa Mosque.
The occupation forces stationed at the checkpoints and gates of the Old City of occupied Jerusalem and Al-Aqsa Mosque arrested those arriving to Al-Aqsa, and prevented hundreds of them from entering Al-Aqsa, or continuing their walk there. Despite the ban, they carried out a physical search of the youth and conducted a field investigation with them.
At the gates of the Old City and Al-Aqsa Mosque, the occupation forces attacked and beat the worshipers, forcing them to leave the area and preventing them from praying in the streets of Jerusalem.
the elderly
An official in the Islamic Endowments Department in Jerusalem told Anadolu Agency that only about 7,000 people were able to enter Al-Aqsa Mosque to perform Friday prayers, compared to more than 50,000 in the regular gathering.
The official added that the restrictions imposed by the occupation still prevent tens of thousands of worshipers from reaching the mosque to perform prayers.
Eyewitnesses said that only several thousand elderly people were able to enter the mosque, whose courtyards and chapels appeared almost empty of worshipers.
The Israeli police set up barriers at the entrances to the Old City of Jerusalem, and at the outer gates of Al-Aqsa Mosque, and allowed only elderly people to pass.
Assaults and arrests
Police forces also deployed in the alleys of the Old City, arrested young residents and prevented them from reaching Al-Aqsa. Police officers assaulted worshipers in the vicinity of the Old City when they attempted to cross the checkpoints to reach Al-Aqsa Mosque.
Hundreds of Palestinians were also forced to perform Friday prayers in streets close to the Old City, including Salah al-Din Street, al-Musrara, and the Wadi al-Joz neighborhood.
After the prayer ended, the occupation forces in large numbers stormed the Wadi al-Joz neighborhood, imposed a siege on the entire area, and threw sound and tear gas bombs. Then, a large force from the undercover police unit, “the police disguised in civilian clothing,” stormed the place and carried out arrests that affected more than 6 young men.
The occupation forces have imposed restrictions on the entry of worshipers into Al-Aqsa Mosque since the beginning of the aggression against Gaza on October 7, but these restrictions become more severe on Fridays.