4m Worshipers Prayed at Al-Aqsa in Ramadan 2023 Despite Israeli Curbs
The Jordan-run authority said the massive Muslim presence at the holy site during Ramadan was remarkable despite the magnitude of Israeli restrictions on the entry of worshipers from the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.
During the holy month, worshipers aged 12-55 from the West Bank were denied entry into occupied Jerusalem's Old City, where the mosque is located, while only a few hundreds from the Gaza Strip were allowed access to the compound.
Coinciding with the Jewish holiday of Passover earlier in April, Israeli occupation forces stormed the holy site at least twice and forcibly evicted thousands of Muslim worshipers during the first third of Ramadan to allow Israeli Jewish settlers into the holy site, sparking a downpour of international and regional condemnations.
Since 2003, the Israeli occupation authorities have been allowing settlers into the compound almost on a daily basis, with the exclusion of Friday, the Muslim day of rest and worship.
The Islamic Waqf has repeatedly described the settlers' presence in Al-Aqsa Mosque as provocative, saying that Palestinian worshippers and guards at Al-Aqsa feel uncomfortable with the presence of Israeli police and settlers touring the Islamic holy site.
The Israeli regime occupied East Jerusalem, where Al-Aqsa Mosque is located, during the Six-Day War in 1967 in a move never recognized by the international community.
Source: wafa.ps
