Ahmed Kamel – Egypt Daily News
Tens of thousands of Muslim worshippers gathered at the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem for the first Friday prayers of Ramadan, marking the first such observance since a fragile ceasefire between Israel and Hamas came into effect in October.
The prayers, held at the hilltop compound known to Muslims as the Noble Sanctuary and to Jews as the Temple Mount, unfolded under tight security. Israeli authorities limited entry for Palestinians traveling from the West Bank to 10,000 people, permitting only men over 55, women over 50, and children under 12 to cross into Jerusalem for the occasion, measures Israel has implemented during past periods of heightened tension.
According to Jerusalem’s Islamic Waqf, the Jordanian-appointed religious authority that administers the site, approximately 80,000 worshippers attended the prayers. In previous years, when security conditions were more stable, first-Friday Ramadan attendance at Al-Aqsa has reached as high as 200,000.
Israeli police said more than 3,000 officers were deployed across Jerusalem, describing the presence as precautionary and aimed at ensuring public safety rather than projecting force.
The compound occupies a uniquely sensitive place in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. It is Islam’s third-holiest site and the holiest site in Judaism, revered as the location of the ancient biblical temples. Disputes over access and sovereignty at the site have repeatedly ignited wider confrontations, making Ramadan a period of heightened religious devotion particularly delicate.
For many Palestinians from the West Bank, the opportunity to pray in Jerusalem carried deep emotional weight, even amid restrictions. “We need more people than this,” said Ezaldeen Mustafah, who crossed into the city for the prayers, expressing frustration at the limited permits.
The gathering came against the backdrop of a ceasefire brokered by the United States on Oct. 10, aimed at halting more than two years of war between Israel and Hamas. Although large-scale ground operations have subsided, violence has not fully ceased, with reports of near-daily Israeli fire in Gaza underscoring the fragility of the truce.
Ramadan in the Shadow of War
While Jerusalem saw large crowds, the holy month began under starkly different conditions in Gaza.
Across the enclave, where entire neighborhoods have been flattened, many residents marked Ramadan amid rubble and displacement. With numerous mosques destroyed or damaged, communal prayers have often been relocated to open spaces, schoolyards, or temporary shelters.
“Previously, there were mosques, but today all the mosques have been bombed,” said Ramiz Firwana, a Gaza resident who attended Friday prayers held in a school courtyard.
On Thursday evening, families gathered among the debris of damaged buildings to observe iftar, the traditional fast-breaking meal at sunset. In the southern city of Khan Younis, Mohammad Kollab described the tension between grief and resilience. “Despite the displacement, the pain, and the destruction, we want to rejoice and live,” he said. “We are a people who want to live, we are not a people destined only for destruction and killing.”
According to Gaza’s Health Ministry, more than 72,000 Palestinians have been killed since the war began. Israel launched its military campaign after Hamas-led militants carried out an attack on Oct. 7, 2023, killing approximately 1,200 people in Israel, most of them civilians, and taking 251 hostages.
The ensuing conflict has devastated Gaza’s infrastructure, displaced the majority of its population, and triggered a humanitarian crisis that international organizations describe as among the worst in recent history.
A Sacred Site, A Political Barometer
Events at Al-Aqsa often serve as a barometer of broader Israeli-Palestinian tensions. In previous years, clashes during Ramadan have escalated into wider confrontations, drawing regional and international attention.
This year’s first Friday prayers passed without major reported incidents, but the heavy security presence and strict access rules underscored the volatility surrounding the site. For many worshippers, the gathering symbolized both continuity and constraint a return to communal prayer in Jerusalem after a year of war, yet still framed by political and military realities.
As Ramadan unfolds, attention will remain fixed on Jerusalem and Gaza alike. The holy month, traditionally marked by communal prayer, charity, and celebration, is instead proceeding under the shadow of unresolved conflict, fragile diplomacy, and deep human loss.
Whether the ceasefire can hold and whether political negotiations can gain traction, may determine not only the course of the coming weeks, but also the atmosphere in one of the world’s most contested sacred spaces.
