Only about 450 people permitted to enter mosque for prayers, as most prayer areas and courtyards within Al-Aqsa appeared completely empty because of Israeli restrictions, witnesses say
Israeli police prevented thousands of Palestinian Muslims from entering the Al-Aqsa Mosque in East Jerusalem to perform weekly Friday prayers in congregation, allowing only a few hundred to enter.
Eyewitnesses told Anadolu that Israeli police officers have been deployed since dawn around the gates of the Old City of Jerusalem and the outer gates of the Al-Aqsa Mosque, preventing thousands of Palestinians from entering.
They said only about 450 people were permitted to enter the mosque for prayers, and that most prayer areas and courtyards within Al-Aqsa appeared completely empty because of Israeli restrictions.
On Wednesday evening, Israeli police partially reopened the mosque gates after nearly six days of complete closure, following directives from the Israeli military's Home Front Command to prevent gatherings amid the conflict with Iran.
Restrictions on access to Al-Aqsa have been in place since the start of the genocidal war on Gaza on Oct. 7, with tighter controls usually imposed on Fridays.
Meanwhile, the Israeli military and illegal settlers have escalated their attacks in the occupied West Bank against Palestinians, their holy sites, and property, including in East Jerusalem, resulting in the death of at least 980 Palestinians, with around 7,000 injured, and more than 17,500 detained.
Al-Aqsa Mosque is the world's third-holiest site for Muslims. Jews call the area the Temple Mount, saying it was the site of two Jewish temples in ancient times.
Israel occupied East Jerusalem during the 1967 Arab-Israeli War. It annexed the entire city in 1980 in a move never recognized by the international community.
