JERUSALEM

Around 70,000 Palestinian worshippers performed Tarawih prayers at Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied East Jerusalem on Thursday despite Israeli restrictions.

Tarawih prayers are special night prayers that are performed during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

In a brief statement, the Islamic Endowments Department in Jerusalem said 70,000 worshippers attended Tarawih prayers at Al-Aqsa Mosque on the fifth night of Ramadan.

Eyewitnesses told Anadolu that Israeli forces were deployed at the gates leading to the mosque and prevented thousands of Palestinian youths from entering.

Israel has restricted Palestinian worshippers’ access to Al-Aqsa Mosque amid growing tensions across the occupied West Bank due to the Israeli army’s ongoing offensive on the Gaza Strip following an Oct. 7 cross-border attack by the Palestinian group Hamas that has left more than 31,300 people dead.

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

Israel occupied East Jerusalem, where Al-Aqsa is located, during the 1967 Arab-Israeli War. It annexed the entire city in 1980 in a move never recognized by the international community.

*Writing by Ahmed Asmar