For the First Time Since 1967, Israel Prevents Mass Prayer of Palestinian Worshippers at Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa Mosque

Original article: Por primera vez desde 1967: Israel bloquea rezo masivo de fieles palestinos en mezquita de Jerusalén For the first time since 1967, Israel has blocked a mass prayer of Palestinian faithful at Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem. According to reports by The Palestine Chronicle, Israeli authorities used force and deployed tear gas on Friday to prevent Palestinian Muslims from accessing the mosque for their Eid al-Fitr prayers, marking the end of Ramadan. «For the first time since the city’s occupation in 1967, Eid prayers were completely obstructed within the mosque,» it noted.

As a result, worshippers were forced to pray on the streets amidst tear gas, arrests, and intensified repression from the Zionist regime in Jerusalem and the West Bank. The report highlighted that Israeli occupation forces limited access to the mosque to only a small number of guards and employees, effectively emptying the site of worshippers during one of the most significant religious occasions. «Police were massively deployed throughout the Old City, setting up barricades and blocking access points,» it emphasized.

As a result of the blockade, thousands of worshippers were forced to pray outside the Old City walls on nearby streets. However, eyewitnesses reported that Israeli occupation forces fired tear gas at Palestinians attempting to pray near Bab al-Sahira (Herod’s Gate), while dozens gathered at nearby locations, including Lion’s Gate and Damascus Gate, to hold prayers on the streets. The moments of the aggression were captured in videos shared on social media.

The Jerusalem Governorate labeled the measures as a «dangerous and unprecedented escalation,» warning that the ongoing closure of Al-Aqsa Mosque and the blocking of Eid prayers constitute a «blatant violation of religious freedom. » Palestinians fear that this action is part of an Israeli strategy to exploit tensions related to the war against Iran, seeking to tighten restrictions and solidify control over Al-Aqsa Mosque. The Organization of Islamic Cooperation and the Arab League condemned the blockade in a joint statement, stating that it represents a serious violation of the historical and legal status quo in the Islamic and Christian holy sites of the occupied city of Jerusalem.

«This is an attack on the established religious rights and heritage of the Islamic nation, a provocation to the feelings of Muslims around the world, and a violation of freedom of worship,» they asserted. Restrictions at the Ibrahim Mosque Meanwhile, in the city of Hebron (Al-Khalil), located in southern West Bank, Israeli occupation forces restricted access to the Ibrahim Mosque, preventing thousands of Palestinians from performing Eid prayers. According to the mosque director, Mu’taz Abu Suneina, «they tightened their procedures at the mosque entrances, closed most of its doors, and only allowed access through the Old City gate, while subjecting worshippers to thorough searches.

» Only a small group of 50 people was allowed inside the mosque, while the majority were forced to pray outside under a heavy military presence. Abu Suneina stressed that «the occupation insisted on preventing a large number of worshippers from entering» and reminded that the mosque remains «a purely Islamic place. » *Featured Image: SAFA Agency.