Around 100,000 Palestinians attended Friday prayers at the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem for the second Friday of Ramadan, defying stringent restrictions imposed by the occupation. Sheikh Azzam Al-Khatib, head of the Islamic Waqf in Jerusalem, confirmed the figures, noting the heavy turnout despite the early-morning deployment of occupation forces across the Old City and at the mosque’s gates.

The occupation prevented tens of thousands of Palestinians from the West Bank from reaching Jerusalem, citing security measures and restricted access through military checkpoints. Forces were also deployed across the West Bank, particularly near Jerusalem’s checkpoints, to limit the flow of worshippers to the holy site. Many attempted to reach the city via the Qalandiya checkpoint north of Jerusalem, only to be turned back despite arriving in the early hours.

Ramadan traditionally sees hundreds of thousands of Palestinians travel from the West Bank to Al-Aqsa, filling the mosque and bustling surrounding markets. Yet, since the start of the two-year war on Gaza on 8 October 2023, the occupation has imposed strict permit requirements, allowing only a limited number of worshippers into Jerusalem. Palestinians maintain that East Jerusalem remains the capital of their future state, while the occupation claims the entire city as its capital.