JERUSALEM, March 7, 2025 (WAFA) – Nearly 90,000 Muslim worshippers performed the first Friday prayers of the holy month of Ramadan at the Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied Jerusalem, according to the Islamic Waqf Department in Jerusalem.

Since the early morning hours, Israeli occupation forces deployed extensively at the military checkpoints leading to the mosque, preventing a large number of worshippers from the West Bank from entering and subjecting them to intensive ID checks.

Additionally, thousands of Israeli police officers were deployed to the Old City of Jerusalem, as well as around Al-Aqsa Mosque and its gates ahead of the prayers to restrict Muslim access to the holy site.

At the checkpoints surrounding Jerusalem, eyewitnesses told WAFA that thousands of worshippers were turned back and denied access to the city under the pretext of not having the necessary permits.

M.N