Alwaght: Over 200,000 Palestinians attended the second Friday prayer during the holy month of Ramadan at the Aqsa Mosque in Al Quds (Jerusalem) despite heavy restrictions imposed by the Israeli regime.
Sheikh Azzam al-Khatib, head of the Al Quds Waqf (Islamic Endowment) that runs al-Aqsa Mosque, told Ma’an News Agency that over 200,000 worshipers prayed in Al-Aqsa, who began their journeys at dawn to the holy site in occupied East Al Quds.
Palestinian men above the age of 45 and women of all ages were permitted to enter the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, while Palestinian men under 45 were only allowed entrance if they held permits to attend prayers issued by the Israeli regime.
Witnesses entering al-Quds from the West Bank saw Israeli regime forces refuse entry to hundreds of Palestinian youth at checkpoints for lacking the necessary permits.
During the sermon delivered at the mosque, Sheikh Muhammad Salim Ali praised the worshipers who traveled to al-Aqsa saying, “The fact that these groups have come from all areas of Palestine is evidence of the unity and closeness of our people.”
Sheikh Omar al-Kiswani, the director of Al-Aqsa Mosque called on the thousands of Palestinians to continue making the journey to al-Aqsa and to keep the mosque filled with Muslims worshippers, despite Israel’s checkpoints.
The Israeli regime is imposing the restrictions as Muslims prepare to mark the annual World Quds Day rally held on the last Friday of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. During this day worldwide rallies are held to commemorate the Palestinian people’s resistance against the Israeli regime and their struggles to liberate their territories which have been occupied by the regime for decades. Millions of pro-Palestinian demonstrators, including Muslims and non-Muslims, take to the streets to denounce Israel’s atrocities against the people of Palestine.
