200,000 worshippers perform Tarawih prayers at Al-Aqsa Mosque despite Israeli restrictions

By Ahmed Asmar

ANKARA (AA) - About 200,000 Palestinian worshippers performed Tarawih at the Al-Aqsa Mosque on Friday in occupied East Jerusalem, despite Israeli restrictions.

Tarawih prayers are special night prayers that are performed during the Muslim holy month 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 Israeli forces imposed further restrictions on entry to the mosque with at least 27 worshippers being detained.

Israel has restricted thousands of 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, that has left more than 33,000 people dead.

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 during the 1967 Arab-Israeli War. It annexed the entire city in 1980 in a move never recognized by the international community.