JERUSALEM, November 22, 2024 (WAFA) – Thousands of Palestinian worshippers gathered for Friday prayers at the Al-Aqsa Mosque, despite stringent Israeli military measures that continue to restrict access to the holy site.

According to the Islamic Waqf Department in Jerusalem, an estimated 40,000 Muslims performed the weekly congregational prayer at the Al-Aqsa compound. However, many of the worshippers faced significant obstacles in reaching the mosque due to the strict measures imposed by Israeli occupation forces.

Local sources told WAFA that Israeli forces blocked access to Al-Aqsa via the Bab al-Asbat (Gate of the Lions) entrance, thoroughly checking identification papers and detaining several young men, preventing them from entering the mosque. In addition, Israeli forces raided the area surrounding the Dome of the Rock at Al-Aqsa during the Friday sermon.

Several young men were forced to pray outside the mosque's gates after being barred from entering the compound, praying instead in the surrounding courtyards and streets.

Israeli forces have been imposing increasingly harsh restrictions on access to Al-Aqsa, particularly on Fridays, in an effort to limit the number of worshippers.

This has left many Palestinians from the West Bank unable to travel to Jerusalem to perform prayers at the mosque. Israel requires special permits for West Bank residents to pass through military checkpoints surrounding the city, which are difficult to obtain, further hindering access.

M.N