Day 154: Jerusalem during “Al-Aqsa Flood” Operation
On the 154th day of "Al-Aqsa Flood Operation", the Israeli authorities prevented hundreds of worshipers from entering Al-Aqsa Mosque to perform Friday prayers, and placed iron barriers and barricades and increased their presence at its gates, while closing many streets and roads to ensure the passage of the "Israeli Municipality Marathon", and the forces continued to deploy in the streets of Jerusalem and set up checkpoints.
The Wadi Hilweh Information Center - Jerusalem explained that for the 22nd consecutive Friday, the occupation authorities imposed strict restrictions on the entry of worshipers to perform Friday prayers at Al-Aqsa, and the measures taken in Jerusalem and at the gates of Al-Aqsa and its surroundings prevented the entry of worshipers into it, and the Al-Aqsa mosques and its squares appeared almost empty of worshipers, except for numbers that do not exceed 15 thousand Muslims and most of them are elderly and women.
The center added that the forces placed barricades and iron barriers in the streets of Jerusalem, as well as setting up checkpoints and deployed police officers in large numbers inside the Old City and at the gates of Al-Aqsa and the gates of the Old City, and stopped young men and women arriving to it, in addition to stopping some elderly people, and prevented hundreds from entering Al-Aqsa. The forces also pursued the young men in the streets of the Old City and prevented them from sitting or being on the thresholds of Al-Aqsa and forcibly removed them from its vicinity.
The center reported from worshipers that they were assaulted by beating and shoving in several places "Damascus Gate, Herods Gate, Lions Gate, and the gates of the Old City", to prevent them from entering and praying in Al-Aqsa. In the area of Lions Gate leading to the Old City, the forces pursued the young men and assaulted them by pushing and beating during their attempt to pray on the street, and their insistence allowed them to pray on the side of the road.
The center added that the young men who were prevented from entering Al-Aqsa, prayed in the area of Lions Gate, and inside the Bab Al-Rahma and Yusufiya cemeteries, and on the thresholds of Al-Aqsa.
Worshippers performed the Dawn prayer on the road to the Yusufiya cemetery, after they were prevented from entering Al-Aqsa.
On the other hand, Israeli intelligence continued to summon Palestinian women and men from Jerusalem and the Palestinian 1948 lands, and handed them orders to expel them from Al-Aqsa Mosque.
In the streets of Jerusalem and its main roads, the forces closed many streets in the city in conjunction with the annual “Israeli municipality marathon", which runs through the streets of East and West Jerusalem, and this year the municipality stated that the marathon is "to honor the army, the forces and the rescue teams".
