The Israeli occupation forces prevented large numbers of Palestinians from crossing military checkpoints to occupied Jerusalem to perform the second Friday prayer of Ramadan at Al-Aqsa Mosque.

The occupation forces strengthened their presence in East Jerusalem and the vicinity of the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque, a day after a bloody confrontation between Palestinian youths on the one hand, and dozens of settlers supported by the occupation forces on the other hand.

Palestinians said that the occupation forces deployed at the checkpoints are asking the Palestinians to obtain the two doses of vaccination against the Corona virus and an entry permit to the city of Jerusalem as a condition for their crossing.

There are insufficient quantities of vaccines in the West Bank, as vaccination is limited to those with chronic diseases and those over the age of 60, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health.

The Qalandia military checkpoint, north of Jerusalem, witnessed active movement by Palestinians during the early hours of the dawn, but the Israeli authorities did not allow only a small number to enter.

The performance of prayers in the Al-Aqsa Mosque is restricted to residents of East Jerusalem, the Arab areas in Israel, and for a limited number of Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza who have special permits.

Bloody confrontations

In a related context, Israeli military sources announced today, Friday, that about 50 Palestinian youths from occupied Jerusalem were arrested during the clashes that broke out on Thursday in the vicinity of the Old City of Jerusalem.

The clashes erupted after settlers and the occupation forces attacked the worshipers after the end of the Tarawih prayers and continued until the early morning hours, while the Israeli police claimed that about 20 of its members were wounded, and that they arrested 50 people from both sides.

Al-Jazeera correspondent Guevara Al-Budairi said, "The Israeli occupation soldiers attacked dozens of Palestinians in the areas of Bab Al-Amud, Al-Misrara and Bab Al-Sahira in occupied Jerusalem."

The Red Crescent confirmed that the police fired tear gas and rubber bullets at the Palestinians, wounding 105, and transporting 30 of them to Jerusalem hospitals for treatment.

The city of Jerusalem in general and the Al-Aqsa Mosque in particular have been witnessing since the beginning of the current month of Ramadan, skirmishes between Palestinian youths and Israeli forces due to recent attempts to prevent annual Ramadan gatherings and activities in the city center.

Palestinian condemnation

In turn, the Palestinian presidency expressed its strong condemnation and condemnation of what settlers and right-wing extremist groups are doing to incite the killing of Arabs, and with the protection of the Israeli army and police.

In a statement published by the official Palestinian News Agency (WAFA), it called on the international community to protect our people in Jerusalem from the oppression of settlers and their criminal attacks, and held the Israeli government fully responsible for this dangerous deterioration.

The head of the political bureau of Hamas, Ismail Haniyeh, said late Thursday evening that "the city of Jerusalem cannot be subject to the occupation and its fascist policy."

Haniyeh asserted that what is happening in the Holy City now is an affirmation of Arabism, Islam and Palestine in this city.

For his part, a member of the Fatah Central Committee, Hussein al-Sheikh, said, "What is happening in Jerusalem in terms of a heroic response to the settlers is a battle for sovereignty and insistence on the Palestinian territories, our eternal capital.

He added in a tweet on his Twitter account that this is the real battle in defense of our Jerusalem and our sanctities.

Israeli schemes

In turn, the International Jerusalem Foundation warned today that targeting young Jerusalemites in the Bab al-Amud area comes in the context of an Israeli plan to radically change the face of the neighborhood, making it a militarily besieged area through Israeli checkpoints and checkpoints, and ineligible to accommodate the gatherings of young Jerusalemites.

The foundation added in an official statement that the Jewish temple organizations are inciting extremist settlers to carry out a major storming of the Al-Aqsa Mosque on the 28th of Ramadan on the occasion of the so-called "Jerusalem Day" on the Hebrew calendar.

She called for the Bab al-Amud to be the title of a new Jerusalem gift that would prevent the occupation from imposing its control over the al-Bab area, and to address the settlers ’incursion into Al-Aqsa on the 28th of Ramadan.

The institution was surprised by the very weak interaction on the part of the Palestinian forces and factions, which carries very negative messages that Jerusalem is present in word and is actually absent in the programs of these forces and factions.

The Damascus Gate, or Damascus Gate, is considered one of the most important and beautiful gates of the occupied city of Jerusalem, and it gains its importance as it is the main entrance to the Al-Aqsa Mosque, the Church of the Holy Sepulcher and the Al-Buraq Wall.

It is located on the northern side of the wall surrounding the Old City of Jerusalem at the beginning of the slope of the valley that cuts across the Old City from north to south, and which is now known to the people of Jerusalem as Al-Wad Road.