https://arab.news/4dxef
- Most worshippers were residents of Jerusalem and Palestinian citizens of Israel
- Israeli military police raided compound on Monday, detained 3 individuals
LONDON: Nearly 80,000 Palestinians performed the evening and Taraweeh prayers on the fourth night of the holy month of Ramadan at Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem, despite Israeli restrictions.
The Jerusalem Waqf and Al-Aqsa Mosque Affairs Department, which is responsible for administering the site, said that most of the 80,000 worshippers were residents of Jerusalem and Palestinian citizens of Israel living in the 1948 territory.
However, thousands of Palestinians from cities and towns in the occupied West Bank were barred entry to Jerusalem through Israeli military checkpoints, it added, as Israel had introduced new restrictive measures during Ramadan.
Israeli military police raided the compound on Monday and detained three individuals, according to the Palestine News Agency. Israel also deployed additional forces in the Old City in occupied East Jerusalem over the weekend at the start of Ramadan.
Muslims worldwide fast from dawn until sunset, participating in the nightly Taraweeh prayers during Ramadan.