About 100,000 performed the Isha and Tarawih prayers at Al-Aqsa on Friday (Al-Jazeera)
Occupied Jerusalem
- The Palestinian Red Crescent Society said on Friday that the Israeli occupation authorities prevented its crews from entering Al-Aqsa Mosque to carry out their work, at a time when the mosque witnessed an increase in the number of worshipers, reaching about 120,000 in Friday prayers and about 100,000 in Tarawih prayers.
The association said in a statement that the Israeli occupation forces "prevented ambulance crews and volunteers from entering the courtyards of Al-Aqsa Mosque to provide their humanitarian and emergency services to worshipers on the second Friday of the holy month of Ramadan without giving reasons for this."
It also indicated that its teams were prevented from establishing field clinics in the vicinity of the city of Jerusalem to provide their services to worshipers arriving from outside the city.
The association considered that preventing its crews from performing their humanitarian work “is a flagrant violation of international humanitarian law, which requires the occupation forces not to attack or prevent medical personnel.”
She said that preventing her from working in Al-Aqsa’s courtyards “is a violation of international agreements that recognize the responsibility of the Palestinian Red Crescent to provide emergency and humanitarian services within the geographical scope of occupied Jerusalem.”
About 100,000 worshipers performed the evening and Tarawih prayers in Al-Aqsa Mosque, and about 120,000 performed the second Friday prayer of Ramadan in the mosque.
Since the start of the aggression on Gaza, the occupation has imposed severe restrictions on entering Al-Aqsa Mosque, while requiring Palestinians in the West Bank to reach the age of 55 years for men and 50 years for women and to obtain prior Israeli approval to go to Jerusalem to perform prayers at Al-Aqsa on Fridays of Ramadan.
Source: Al Jazeera