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Occupation authorities prevent worshippers from praying at Al-Aqsa Mosque

November 25, 2023 at 11:00 am

Israeli forces take security measures as Muslims perform Friday prayers on the street in Ras Al-Amud neighborhood, after Israeli authorities barred Palestinians from entering the Al-Aqsa Mosque in East Jerusalem on November 24, 2023. [Mostafa Alkharouf – Anadolu Agency]

Only a few thousand worshippers performed Friday prayers at Al-Aqsa Mosque this week due to the occupation’s restrictions on worshippers entering the mosque for the seventh week in a row.

The occupation forces closed the entrances and doors of the Old City and Al-Aqsa Mosque with iron barriers to thousands of worshippers, restricting them from reaching the mosque.

They prevented worshippers of all ages from entering the Old City of occupied Jerusalem, arrested hundreds of worshippers, checked their identities and allowed only the Old City’s residents to enter.

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Hundreds of worshippers performed Friday prayers at the point closest to the Old City in Wadi Al-Joz, Ras Al-Amud and elsewhere due to the occupation’s restrictions.

The Islamic Endowments Department in Jerusalem reported that only 5,000 worshippers performed Friday prayers at Al-Aqsa Mosque.

In this context, the occupation forces arrested a group of young men from Salah Al-Din Street in occupied Jerusalem after severely beating them, coinciding with the worshippers flocking to the city.

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