80,000 Perform the First Friday Prayer of Ramadan at Al-Aqsa Mosque

SadaNews - Approximately 80,000 worshipers performed the first Friday prayer of Ramadan at Al-Aqsa Mosque, after Israeli occupation forces prevented tens of thousands of citizens from the West Bank, including occupied Jerusalem, from reaching the mosque to perform the prayer.

Occupation forces were heavily deployed around the Qalandia checkpoints north of Jerusalem, turning back thousands of worshipers and not allowing them to reach Al-Aqsa Mosque, under the pretext of not having the necessary permits.

The occupation also mistreated a Palestinian youth at the 300 checkpoint north of Bethlehem while he was attempting to reach Al-Aqsa Mosque for the Friday prayer, while occupation forces hindered the movement of Palestinian citizens and prevented thousands of Palestinians from passing through the checkpoint to reach the mosque.

For its part, the Jerusalem governorate stated that the occupation authorities prevented citizens from entering Jerusalem through the Qalandia checkpoint, claiming that the allowed number had been reached. It pointed out that the occupation authorities have tightened their measures around Jerusalem by imposing restrictions on entry, setting up more checkpoints, and obstructing those arriving in the city, in a move aimed at reducing the number of worshipers.