100,000 worshippers perform Tarawih prayers at Al-Aqsa Mosque despite Israeli restrictions

By Ahmed Asmar

ANKARA (AA) – More than 100,000 Palestinian worshippers performed Tarawih prayers Friday at Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied East Jerusalem, despite Israeli restrictions.

Tarawih prayers are special night prayers that are performed during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

The Islamic Endowments Department in Jerusalem said more than 100,000 worshippers attended the prayers on the second Friday of Ramadan.

The official Palestinian news agency, WAFA, said Israeli forces were heavily deployed in Jerusalem's Old City in an attempt to hinder access to the mosque.

It added that the Israeli authorities continue to ban Red Crescent teams from erecting its field clinic in the mosque to provide medical services to worshippers.

Israel has restricted Palestinian worshippers’ access to Al-Aqsa Mosque amid growing tensions across the occupied West Bank due to the Israeli army’s ongoing offensive on the Gaza Strip following an Oct. 7 cross-border attack by the Palestinian resistance group, Hamas.

The Israeli onslaught has killed more than 32,000 Palestinians.

Al-Aqsa Mosque is the world's third-holiest site for Muslims. Jews call the area the Temple Mount, claiming it was the site of two Jewish temples in ancient times.

Israel occupied East Jerusalem, where Al-Aqsa is located, during the 1967 Arab-Israeli War. It annexed the entire city in 1980 in a move never recognized by the international community.