Egypt Daily News -Around 90,000 Palestinians performed the first Friday prayer of the holy month of Ramadan at Al-Aqsa Mosque, according to the Islamic Waqf Department in Jerusalem. Meanwhile, the Israeli army were heavily deployed around military checkpoints leading to the mosque, preventing many worshippers from the West Bank from entering and thoroughly checking their identity cards.
Dozens of Palestinians gathered at the Qalandia checkpoint, attempting to reach Al-Aqsa Mosque despite Israeli restrictions and the cold, rainy winter weather. Many were held at the checkpoint and denied entry.
The Israeli army allowed men over 55, women over 50, and children under 12 to enter Al-Aqsa Mosque, but only with a prior security permit and after undergoing strict security checks at designated crossings.
However, since the beginning of Ramadan, Israeli authorities have been preventing Palestinians from the occupied West Bank from reaching Al-Aqsa as part of their ongoing policy since the start of the war of extermination in Gaza.
