Cross-border shelling has killed at least 70 civilians, including children, rescue workers and journalists
The first Friday prayers of the holy month of Ramadan passed without violence at the reverred Al Aqsa mosque under tight Israeli restrictions, amid fears the ongoing war Israel-Hamas war would spark clashes in Jerusalem's Old City.
Hamas militants have called on Palestinians to rise up and challenge tight Israeli restrictions on entry to the site. The militant group hopes a fresh outburst of violence would put more pressure on Israel and improve its leverage in ongoing ceasefire talks.
But no flare-up occurred after the important noon prayers on Friday. An estimated 80,000 worshippers attended the prayers, the highest turnout since Ramadan began on Monday, according to the Waqf, the Jordan-based religious body that administers the site.
Stay up to date with the latest news. Follow KT on WhatsApp Channels.
Nearly all the worshippers moved peacefully through the Old City's winding streets and crossed the compound's gates guarded by armed Israeli police.
During past years, clashes at the compound during Ramadan have triggered major escalations in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, including Israeli raids of the mosque and Hamas rocket fire, which set off a brief Israel-Hamas war in 2021.
Friday also marked the first time Palestinians from the occupied West Bank were able to travel to Jerusalem since Hamas launched its assault on southern Israel on October 7. Israel’s invasion of Gaza in response has killed more than 31,000 people, according to Gaza's health ministry.
But Palestinians’ access to the city was limited to men over 55, women over 50 and children under 10, with all visitors required to return to the territory the same day. Israel also demanded all visitors obtain a special permit through a mobile application. In previous years, there were no age restrictions on women and elderly worshippers did not need to apply for an online permit.
At Qalandiya Checkpoint, which sits between Jerusalem and the West Bank city of Ramallah, The Associated Press spoke to at least three elderly men who said they were turned back for not having a permit. Imad Jalalmah from the city of Jenin, said he was completely unaware that this new restriction affected him.
"How could this happen?" he lamented from outside the checkpoint “I travelled approximately 150 kilometres from Jenin to here, and when I finally arrived, I was denied passage.”
At the checkpoint separating Jerusalem from Bethlehem, worshippers said there were similar problems.
“Many old people over the age of sixty or seventy don’t have modern telephones,” said 57-year-old Khaled Thweib.
ALSO READ:
Cross-border shelling has killed at least 70 civilians, including children, rescue workers and journalists
Northeastern University in Boston says the action was taken after some protesters resorted to virulent anti-Semitic slurs
Alongside regional leaders, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will attend the meetings
The Argentinian's beauty got many looking for the 'fountain of youth': She can't be that old, Netizens say
A plea moved in court stated that no one is permitted to wear the official state institution outfit
The ruins in the middle of Pantabangan Dam in Nueva Ecija province are a tourist draw, even as the region swelters in extreme heat
Friday's polling will be held for 88 of the total 543 seats in the lower house or Lok Sabha of Parliament with 160 million people eligible to vote
Kerala will decide the fate of 194 candidates as polling on all 20 parliamentary constituencies will be held in the second phase