JERUSALEM

Israel decided on Wednesday to limit the number of worshippers for the Friday prayers at the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in occupied East Jerusalem during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan to 10,000 Palestinians from the West Bank, requiring each worshipper to obtain a prior permit.

Israeli military agency COGAT said in a statement that the political leadership approved the restrictions following a security assessment.

“After a security situation assessment, the political echelon approved the entry plan for Palestinian worshippers to attend Friday prayers at the Al-Aqsa Mosque throughout the month of Ramadan,” the agency said.

It added that 10,000 Palestinian worshippers will be allowed to enter the Al-Aqsa Mosque to perform the Friday prayers throughout Ramadan, “provided they obtain a prior daily permit designated for each Friday prayer.”

According to the statement, Israeli authorities will allow entry for men aged 55 and older, women aged 50 and older, and children up to age 12 accompanied by a first-degree relative.

Israel imposes expanded security measures in occupied East Jerusalem every Ramadan and announces tightened restrictions on Palestinian access to the Al-Aqsa Mosque.

Separately, illegal Israeli settlers vowed to continue staging incursions into the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound during the month of Ramadan, according to posts by settler groups on social media.

Posts shared on social media platforms said that illegal settlers will enter the flashpoint site for five hours daily during Ramadan, except Fridays and Saturdays, from 6.30 am local time (0430GMT) to 11.30 am (0930GMT).

Before Ramadan, entries took place in two periods, first from 7 am to 11 am and second from 12.30 pm to 2 pm.

As in previous years, entries will stop after the noon prayer and during the last 10 days of Ramadan.

Illegal settler entries into the compound began in 2003 under a decision by Israeli police, despite repeated demands by the Jerusalem Islamic Waqf to halt them.

Al-Aqsa Mosque is the world's third-holiest site for Muslims. Jews call the area Temple Mount, claiming it was the site of two Jewish temples in ancient times.

Israel raised its security alert level in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, with the start of Ramadan on Wednesday.

In recent weeks, Israeli authorities have increased arrests and issued expulsion orders in East Jerusalem ahead of Ramadan, a Palestinian rights organization reported.

Palestinians seek East Jerusalem as the capital of a future state, citing international resolutions that do not recognize Israel’s occupation of the city in 1967 or its annexation in 1980.

Since the war in Gaza began on Oct. 8, 2023, Israel’s military and illegal settlers have intensified operations across the West Bank, including Jerusalem, involving killings, home demolitions, displacement of Palestinians and settlement expansion.

*Writing by Lina Altawell in Istanbul