More than 100,000 Palestinian worshippers performed the Taraweeh prayer in Al-Aqsa Mosque in the occupied city of Jerusalem on the second Friday of the holy month of Ramzan, March 22.
This comes despite Israeli occupation forces (IOF) imposing restrictions on entering Al-Aqsa, which have been heightened on Fridays since the beginning of the war between Israel and Hamas on October 7, 2023, according to the Islamic Endowments Department in Jerusalem.
Israeli forces intensified their deployment in the Old City of Jerusalem and at the gates of Al-Aqsa Mosque, in an attempt to obstruct the arrival of residents heading to perform the Isha and Taraweeh prayers in Al-Aqsa, Palestinian News Agency WAFA reported.
In the same context, the forces prevented ambulance crews and volunteers from the Palestinian Red Crescent Society (PRCS) from entering Al-Aqsa courtyards.
Earlier, at least 1,20,000 Palestinians performed prayers in the compound on the second Friday prayer of Ramzan at Al-Aqsa Mosque.
This number is considered less than usual at this time of the month of Ramzan, as the Islamic Endowments Department in Jerusalem estimated the number of worshipers at about 250,000, on the same day last year.
On the the first day of Ramzan, the Israeli forces placed barbed wire on the fence adjacent to Al-Aqsa Mosque, in the “Bab Al-Asbat” area, intending to prevent worshippers from entering Al-Aqsa.
Since October 7, the Israeli forces have been waging a devastating war on Gaza, resulting in more than 32,000 deaths, causing massive infrastructure destruction and an unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe.
