The Third Friday of Ramadan - Tight Restrictions and crowds at Al-Aqsa
Tens of thousands of worshippers flocked to Al-Aqsa Mosque on the third Friday of Ramadan, while the areas surrounding Al-Aqsa and the Old City were transformed into military barracks.
Sheikh Azzam al-Khatib, Director General of Jerusalem Endowments and Al-Aqsa Mosque Affairs, said that 80,000 worshippers performed the third Friday prayer of Ramadan at Al-Aqsa.
The number of worshippers at Al-Aqsa Mosque on Fridays has decreased this year due to the strict restrictions imposed on West Bank residents' entry to Jerusalem. Last year, 2024, the number of worshippers on the third Friday of Ramadan reached 120,000.
Palestinians holding West Bank ID cards explained that the conditions and restrictions allowing them to enter Al-Aqsa include the requirement to have a "magnetic card" and a permit from the "Coordinator's App." The permit is also limited to Fridays only, from 5:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Additionally, the person must return to the checkpoint they left through to fingerprint to confirm their return to the West Bank. The number of worshipers who will be allowed to enter is 10,000.
As for age restrictions, entry was prohibited for men under the age of 55 and women under the age of 50. Children under the age of 12 were allowed to enter provided they were accompanied by a parent and presented with a birth certificate.
The prayer halls, corridors, and canopies of Al-Aqsa Mosque were filled with worshippers due to the rainy and cold weather in Jerusalem.
Meanwhile, the occupation forces set up checkpoints on the streets of Jerusalem and nearby neighborhoods leading to the Old City, such as Sheikh Jarrah, Wadi al-Joz, al-Sowaneh, and Ras al-Amoud/Silwan. They also closed some roads in the neighborhoods and all the streets surrounding the Old City.
The occupation forces were deployed in the streets of Jerusalem and the Old City, at its gates, and at the gates of Al-Aqsa.
The forces stationed at the gates of Al-Aqsa prevented hundreds of young men and boys from entering the mosque "randomly." They also prevented those banned from Al-Aqsa from praying on its thresholds, forcibly removing them outside the walls of the Old City via Lions Gate.
Since last Thursday night, the I’tikaf at Al-Aqsa Mosque has begun, lasting until the end of Ramadan. However, police have prevented I’tikaf at Al-Aqsa Mosque for the past two weeks on Thursday/Friday nights.
