OCCUPIED JERUSALEM, (PIC)
Palestinian worshippers performed Friday prayers near Aqsa Mosque despite being barred from reaching it, holding prayers at a bus station near Nablus Street in Occupied Jerusalem after being chased by Israeli forces.
Eyewitnesses reported that Israeli forces prevented residents from entering the Old City or approaching Aqsa, forcing them to pray in nearby streets and neighborhoods amid heavy military restrictions and a large deployment of forces across the area.
Israeli authorities continue to enforce a full closure on Aqsa Mosque, the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, and the Old City for the fifth consecutive Friday, marking one of the longest periods of restricted worship access since the occupation of Jerusalem in 1967.
In the same context, Israeli forces arrested a Jerusalemite youth after he left Saad and Saeed Mosque near Damascus Gate, assaulting him during the arrest. Another elderly man was detained after delivering a Friday sermon in the Musrara area, addressing the situation at Aqsa.
This comes as Aqsa remains closed for the 35th consecutive day, with thousands of Palestinians barred from accessing the mosque to pray under the pretext of “security conditions” and a “state of emergency.”
Israeli forces have set up military checkpoints at the entrances to the Old City and blocked roads leading to it as part of an ongoing policy restricting access to religious sites in the occupied city.
Meanwhile, official and religious bodies have warned of the dangers of the continued closure, describing it as a violation of freedom of worship and a serious escalation, particularly as groups known as the “Temple Mount organizations” call for incursions into Aqsa during the Passover period and demand the performance of rituals within its courtyards.
