OCCUPIED JERUSALEM, (PIC)
Around 70,000 Palestinians performed Friday prayers at Aqsa Mosque amid tightened restrictions imposed by the Israeli occupation.
The Jerusalem Governorate said in a statement that tens of thousands of worshippers arrived at the Mosque since the early morning hours, while Israeli forces enforced strict measures around the site and deployed large numbers of troops at the gates of Aqsa and throughout the Old City.
Israeli forces also prevented a number of worshippers and guardians of the holy site from performing Friday prayer on Al-Mujahideen Road and forced them toward the Bab al-Asbat area.
Israeli authorities continue to prevent thousands of Palestinians from the West Bank from reaching Occupied Jerusalem to pray at the Aqsa Mosque, requiring them to obtain special permits to pass through military checkpoints surrounding the holy city.
