JERUSALEM, February 20, 2026 (WAFA) — Israeli occupation forces imposed strict restrictions on the entry of Palestinian worshippers from the West Bank into occupied Jerusalem on Friday for the first Friday prayer of Ramadan at Al-Aqsa Mosque.

Despite heightened military measures, thousands of Palestinians arrived since the early morning hours at the Qalandia checkpoint, where Israeli forces reinforced their presence, checked IDs, and barred men under 55 and women under 50 — even those holding special permits — from entering the city.

Witnesses said Israeli forces turned back dozens of elderly worshippers at Qalandia and at the Bethlehem checkpoint, citing lack of the required permits to access Jerusalem.

Sources added that four paramedics were briefly detained and that journalists and medical crews faced obstruction at Qalandia checkpoint.

Israeli forces also imposed restrictions at the entrances to the Old City and the gates of Al-Aqsa Mosque, checking young men’s IDs and preventing a number of them from entering.

The Jerusalem Governorate said Israeli authorities also prevented additional worshippers from crossing Qalandia checkpoint, claiming the permitted quota had been filled, leaving thousands stranded. It added that the tightened measures around Jerusalem, including increased checkpoints and access limitations, aim to reduce the number of worshippers.

In remarks to Palestine TV, Omar Rajoub, director of the media department at the Jerusalem Governorate, said the measures also represent an encroachment on the work of the Islamic Waqf in Jerusalem and a direct targeting of its authority in administering Al-Aqsa Mosque, as part of efforts to alter the longstanding status quo.

M.N