Men under 45 banned from Al-Aqsa Friday prayers by Israeli police
Israeli police announced on the evening of Thursday 6 October the bans to be implemented the following day on Palestinians falling within certain age brackets hoping to visit Al-Aqsa Mosque for Friday prayers.
Israeli police spokesperson Loupa Samri stated that only men holding Israeli identity cards and aged over 45 years will be permitted to enter Al-Aqsa. No restrictions for women were stated. Samri added that the procedures were implemented in light of intelligence that acts of civil disobedience were intended following the end of the Friday prayer. Heavy enforcements of Israeli troops, police, Border Guards and voluntary units were to be deployed throughout Jerusalem and the Old City from sunrise, said Samri.
After 464 days of shelter and protest in the Red Cross building in East Jerusalem, Jerusalem politician Dr. Abed al-Rahman Ayyad spoke out in support for the 700 Palestinian prisoners hunger striking in a collective call for Israeli recognition of their rights.
A'yyad stated that the participating prisoners must be treated as war prisoners, and as representations of the Palestinian people's pride and dignity. Islamic states, said Dr. A'yyad, treated prisoners in accordance with rules laid out in Islamic legislations, while the Israeli occupation showed no compassion towards its prisoners, even detaining the corpses of deceased detainees. A'yyad quoted the Prophet Muhammad and called for Muslims to unite in calling for dignity and pride and to support prisoners in Israeli jails.
Delegations of various committees and societies attended A'yyad's presentation in a display of solidarity with the fasting prisoners. Amongst the attending crowd were many family members of prisoners. A discussion ensued after the speech about ways of improving the situation for prisoners and how to articulate solidarity with them. The Committee for Prisoners' Strikes distributed a pamphlet containing news on prisoners in isolation and administrative detention.
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