Isha and Tarawih prayers in the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque (Anatolia Agency)
The Islamic Endowments Department in Jerusalem announced that 200,000 worshipers performed the evening and Tarawih prayers at Al-Aqsa Mosque tonight, and about 125,000 performed the last Friday prayer of the month of Ramadan at Al-Aqsa Mosque amid strict security measures imposed by the Israeli occupation authorities.
Thousands of Palestinians from the city of Jerusalem, from within the Green Line, and from the West Bank who are allowed to enter the city, flocked to the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque to commemorate Laylat al-Qadr amid tight security measures.
The occupation police set up barriers and pushed more of their forces to the vicinity of the Old City, inside its alleys, and at the gates of Al-Aqsa Mosque. Sources in the Islamic Endowments said that the number of worshipers who were able to reach Al-Aqsa Mosque, specifically on Fridays and during Tarawih prayers since the beginning of the month of Ramadan, did not exceed half the average number of people. Worshipers in the same month every year due to the restrictions imposed by the occupation on the entry of Palestinians from the West Bank into Jerusalem.
According to the Islamic Endowments Department in occupied Jerusalem, the worshipers came from within the Green Line areas and from the West Bank and were over 55 years old, and the occupation authorities allowed them to remain in Jerusalem until ten o’clock on Saturday morning.
On the other hand, Al Jazeera's correspondent reported that the occupation forces arrested a number of young men at "Bab al-Silsilah" after assaulting them while they were trying to enter the mosque after performing prayers.
The Al Jazeera correspondent added that Israeli police officers attacked worshipers at Lions Gate and arrested 3 young men while they were trying to enter Al-Aqsa Mosque and perform prayers there.
Since Friday morning, thousands of Palestinians had flocked to the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque, to perform the last Friday prayer of the month of Ramadan, and to commemorate the Night of Destiny in the courtyards of the Holy Mosque.
The Israeli occupation police arrested 8 Palestinian youths and assaulted a number of other worshipers, after the dawn prayer on the last Friday of the month of Ramadan in the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque.
The occupation forces suppressed crowds of worshipers who marched after prayer with tear gas bombs fired by a drone, chanting to protect Al-Aqsa and support Gaza.
For its part, the Islamic Endowments Department in occupied Jerusalem reported that about 65,000 worshipers performed the dawn prayer in Al-Aqsa Mosque at dawn on Friday.
Source: Al Jazeera