OCCUPIED JERUSALEM, (PIC)
Tens of thousands of Palestinians performed Friday prayer at the Aqsa Mosque amid strict Israeli security measures.
In a statement, the Jerusalem Governorate said that tens of thousands of worshipers had arrived at the Mosque since the early morning hours to perform prayers despite security restrictions and tightened measures imposed by Israeli forces at the Mosque’s gates.
Israeli police forces were seen heavily deployed throughout and around the Old City of Occupied Jerusalem.
Local sources said Israeli forces spread across the streets of Jerusalem, set up metal barriers at the gates of the Old City and the Aqsa Mosque, stopped young men, checked their IDs, and detained some of them.
The sources added that Israeli forces stopped young Palestinians in Al-Wad Street in Jerusalem’s Old City, checked their identification cards, forced them to leave the area, and prevented them from reaching the Aqsa Mosque.
Israeli authorities continue to bar thousands of Palestinians from West Bank governorates from accessing Occupied Jerusalem to pray at the Aqsa Mosque, requiring special permits to cross the military checkpoints surrounding the holy city.
