Palestinians barred from Al-Aqsa Mosque, forced to pray on streets

JENIN: Israeli authorities have once again imposed stringent restrictions on Palestinians, preventing their entry into the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem for Friday prayers for the sixth consecutive week, leading to the mosque being nearly deserted, as reported by Anadolu Agency.

Sources reveal that only about 4,000 Palestinians, predominantly elderly individuals, managed to reach the revered mosque to observe Friday prayers due to the strict control imposed by Israeli forces on the surrounding streets.

Israeli security forces have significantly increased their presence across Jerusalem, particularly in the Old City and the entrances leading to the mosque. Hundreds of Palestinians, barred from entering the mosque, resorted to performing Friday prayers on the streets.

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No official reasons were provided by Israeli authorities for restricting Muslim access to Al-Aqsa for prayers.

In the past couple of days, the Israeli army has been responsible for the deaths of at least seven individuals in the West Bank.

An overnight operation conducted by Israeli forces in a refugee camp in Jenin claimed the lives of five people, according to the Israeli side. However, the Palestinian health ministry in Ramallah reported three fatalities and 15 injuries, four of them critical, in the Jenin raid.

In the south, the health ministry also reported two individuals killed “by Israeli army bullets” at the entrance to the volatile city of Hebron.

A day earlier, three Palestinians were killed at a checkpoint on a road connecting Jerusalem and the West Bank city of Bethlehem.

Palestinians in the occupied West Bank have also reported an increase in harassment from Israeli settlers since the commencement of the conflict.