By Ahmed Asmar
ANKARA (AA) - Some 150,000 Palestinian worshippers performed Tarawih prayers on 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.
In a brief statement, the Islamic Endowments Department in Jerusalem said nearly 150,000 worshippers attended Tarawih prayers at Al-Aqsa Mosque on the third Friday of Ramadan.
The official Palestinian news agency WAFA said the Israeli forces were heavily deployed in Jerusalem's Old City to hinder access to the mosque.
It added that the Israeli forces prevented thousands of Palestinians from the West Bank from entering the mosque.
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 since Oct. 7. More than 32,600 Palestinians, mostly women and children, have since been killed.
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.