JERUSALEM, May 18, 2018 (WAFA) – Some 60,000 Muslim worshipers from occupied East Jerusalem and Arab towns across Israel Friday prayed at Al-Aqsa Mosque Compound in Jerusalem to mark the start of Ramadan, said WAFA correspondent.

Masses of worshipers made their way to the mosque compound, where they performed their first “Taraweeh” prayer to mark the first night of the holy month.

Worshipers had to pass into East Jerusalem via military checkpoints as Israeli police beefed up presence around and in the city amid heightened tensions.

Men over 40, children under 13 and women of all ages are allowed to enter East Jerusalem without permits for the occasion on Fridays. Men between 30 and 40, however, must obtain special permits in order to enter.

Ramadan fasting month started on Thursday and at least one billion Muslims across the globe began fasting with fasting hours ranging between nine and 19 hours.

This came just three days after the opening of the US embassy in Jerusalem and the killing of over 60 Palestinian protestors by Israeli snipers along Gaza’s eastern border.

K.F.