Over 75,000 Palestinians attend Friday prayers at Al-Aqsa amid Israeli restrictions

More than 75,000 Palestinians offered weekly Friday prayers in congregation at the Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied East Jerusalem, despite ongoing Israeli restrictions imposed since October 2023, according to Islamic authorities.

The Islamic Waqf Department in Jerusalem said in a statement that over 75,000 Muslim faithful were able to access the mosque compound.

Hundreds of Israeli police officers were deployed around the Old City, including its alleys and at the external gates of the compound, witnesses said.

Israeli police stopped several young Palestinians in the area and checked their identification documents, an Anadolu correspondent reported.

Since the start of the Gaza war in October 2023, Israeli authorities have barred Palestinians from the occupied West Bank from entering Jerusalem to pray at Al-Aqsa.

Access has been largely restricted to residents of East Jerusalem and Palestinians holding Israeli citizenship.

Israeli police reopened the mosque last week after a 40-day closure, during which Palestinians were prevented from performing five consecutive Friday prayers throughout March and April. The compound was reopened on April 10.

Israeli authorities had also closed both the Al-Aqsa Mosque, the third holiest place in Islam, and the Church of the Holy Sepulchre since Feb. 28, citing measures to prevent gatherings amid the military confrontation with Iran.

The move marked an unprecedented development, as it led to the suspension of Eid al-Fitr prayers at Al-Aqsa for the first time since Israel’s occupation of East Jerusalem in 1967.

*Writing by Rania Abushamala in Istanbul.