Israel cancels entry permits of 500 Gazans to Jerusalem

Israeli authorities have revoked the permits of 500 Gaza residents who had planned to perform Friday prayer at Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied Jerusalem, AFP has reported.

An Israeli spokeswoman told AFP that the move to deny access of Gaza residents to Al-Aqsa Mosque was taken “because of the rocket” that hit southern Israel on Tuesday night, causing no injuries.

Israel said that it relaxed restriction on the movement of Palestinian to and from the Occupied West Bank and the Gaza Strip ahead of the holy month of Ramadan. It said that it would allow 800 Gaza residents to enter Al-Aqsa Mosque each Friday during the Muslim month of fasting.

However, the Israeli defence ministry said that the measures were conditional on continued peace and calmness in the coastal enclave, which was broken by the recent killing of an Israeli in the West Bank and the stabbing of an officer in occupied Jerusalem.

In addition to cancelling permits for Gaza residents, Israeli authorities revoked entry permits for residents from the West Bank village home to the Palestinian who claimed to have stabbed the officer.

It also revoked permission for 500 West Bank Palestinians to fly via Israel’s Ben Gurion airport.

Jerusalem is a holy city for the Muslims and Al-Aqsa Mosque it the third holiest place on earth in Islam. Muslims consider it an honour and a privilege to perform Friday prayers at Al-Aqsa during Ramadan.