More than 20,000 Palestinians performed Friday prayers at Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem on February 9, despite Israeli occupation forces (IOF) restrictions for the 18th Friday in a row.
This marked the largest number since the start of the Gaza war on October 7, 2023, an official from the Islamic Waqf Department in Jerusalem told Anadolu Agency (AA).
During the pre-war period, over 50,000 worshipers used to pray in the mosque on Fridays.
Since the start of the war between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas on October 7, 2023, forces have imposed restrictions on entering Al-Aqsa, which are heightened on Fridays.
Israeli forces have installed barriers at the Old City entrances and Al-Aqsa Mosque’s outer gates, allowing only elderly individuals to pass.
Since October 7, the Israeli army has been waging a devastating war on Gaza, resulting in 27,947 deaths and 67,459 injured, causing massive infrastructure destruction and an unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe.
