Al-Aqsa Empty Due to Israeli Restrictions

Sudan Events – Sumaya Sayed

Israeli restrictions have prevented tens of thousands of Palestinians from performing Friday prayers in Al-Aqsa Mosque for the eighth Friday since the beginning of the war in the Gaza Strip.
“Only 3,500 people were able to enter the mosque to perform Friday prayers, compared to more than 50,000 on regular Fridays,” an official in the Islamic Endowments Department in Jerusalem told Anadolu.
The official, who preferred to remain anonymous for security reasons, said that “the Israeli police imposed severe restrictions on the entry of worshipers into the mosque for the eighth Friday in a row.”
“The Israeli police only allowed the elderly to enter the mosque, and therefore, its courtyards and prayer rooms were almost empty during prayer time,” he added.
He pointed out that “the Israeli authorities have imposed restrictions on the entry of worshipers into Al-Aqsa Mosque since the beginning of the war, but these restrictions become more severe on Fridays.”
Eyewitnesses reported that Israeli police forces were deployed in the alleys of the Old City, where they arrested young residents and prevented them from reaching Al-Aqsa Mosque.
Hundreds of Palestinians were forced to perform prayers in the streets near the Old City.