Pictures: 250 thousand worshippers perform the Friday Prayer at Al-Aqsa Mosque…a sit-in requesting the release of detained Martyrs’ bodies
Tens of thousands of Palestinians performed the third Friday Prayer of the holy month of Ramadan at Al-Aqsa Mosque despite the Israeli restrictions that prevented many people from the West Bank and Gaza strip from reaching the city of Jerusalem.
The Islamic Awqaf department explained that nearly 250 thousand worshippers performed the third Friday Prayer at Al-Aqsa Mosque.
The occupation forces prevented men under the age of 45 from entering Jerusalem through the checkpoints established on the entrances of the city under the pretext of not having permits to enter Jerusalem. Meanwhile, 300 worshippers from Gaza strip were allowed to enter Jerusalem and pray at Al-Aqsa.
Sheikh Ekrima Sabri, preacher of Al-Aqsa Mosque, stressed on the importance of coming to Al-Aqsa Mosque during the month of Ramadan and throughout the whole year and requested Palestinian officials to put Palestine, Jerusalem and Al-Aqsa Mosque on top of their priorities and pledged to immediately end the Palestinian division.
During his speech, he talked about Israel’s rapid and continuous efforts to Judaize the city of Jerusalem and confiscate its lands in order to build settlements. He also talked about the danger of Israeli excavations underneath Al-Aqsa Mosque that pose a real threat to Al-Aqsa, its courtyards and surrounding buildings. He also warned of the call made by an Israeli Rabi to poison the water used by Palestinians.
A sit-in requesting the release of Martyrs’ bodies…our Martyrs are not numbers and will never be
On the other hand, a sit-in was organized at Al-Aqsa Mosque requesting the release of detained Martyrs’ bodies. Banners with the names of detained Martyrs were held during the sit-in as well as pictures of the Martyrs. Also, a poster with the Martyrs’ pictures, names and dates of Martyrdom was held and also said “Our Martyrs are not numbers and will never be…we have names and we have a home”.
The occupation authorities are still detained the bodies of 8 Martyrs that passed away during the last few months. The authorities are delaying the releasing process and are still detaining them in their freezers. They are: Thaer Abu Ghazaleh, Baha’ Alayan, Abdel Muhsen Hassouneh, Mohammad Abu Khalaf, Mohammad Kaloti, Abdel Malek Abu Khroub, Abdel Hamid Abu Sroor and Ansar Harsheh.
