On the third Friday of Ramadan, roughly 150,000 Palestinians flocked to the flashpoint al-Aqsa Mosque.
At the entrance of Ramallah's Qalandia military checkpoint, tens of thousands of Palestinians gathered in a bid to reach the mosque, which sees the tension in the latest weeks.
Tens of thousands of Palestinians flock to Al Aqsa Mosque for Friday prayer @TRTWorld https://t.co/PCfgdtqjL0#AlAqsa
— Nouha (@BNOUHAILA) April 22, 2022
The Israeli authorities allowed the West Bank women of all ages to visit Jerusalem, while the men older than 50 were allowed.
Arwa Salah, who hailed from Al-Ram town, adjacent to the northern neighborhoods of Jerusalem, was also forced to pass through the military checkpoint under restricted measures.
The recent renewed violence began last week after a series of deadly attacks in Israel and arrest raids in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. After Friday's clashes subsided, more than 150,000 worshippers attend Friday prayers at the mosque. #AlAqsa pic.twitter.com/wpxycrTcmp
— CGTN America (@cgtnamerica) April 22, 2022
"Before the Israeli authorities built the separation wall, it was just 20 minutes to arrive at Al Aqsa Mosque. Today, it takes two hours," she told Anadolu Agency.
Since the creation of the illegal separation wall in 2002, the holy city of Jerusalem was isolated from all sides, and visiting it by the West Bank-based Palestinians became much more complicated and limited.
Photos | Thousands of worshipers performed Isha and Tarawih prayers at the holy #AlAqsa Mosque in occupied Jerusalem.#AlAqsaUnderAtrack pic.twitter.com/MltUDSvrqx
— HudaFadil ??#Gaza (@HudaFadil9) April 22, 2022
Israel prevents Palestinians from the West Bank from reaching Jerusalem except on the Fridays of Ramadan. Moreover, it doesn't allow the Palestinians in Gaza Strip to visit the city throughout the year.
