By Abdelraouf Arnaout
JERUSALEM (AA) - Israeli authorities barred Palestinians from entering the Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied East Jerusalem for the 12th consecutive Friday.
A large number of Israeli police personnel were deployed throughout the city to restrict worshipers’ access to the mosque, witnesses told Anadolu.
For the 12th Friday in a row since the beginning of the Israeli war on Gaza on Oct. 7, the Israeli police are imposing severe restrictions that have prevented tens of thousands of people from reaching Al-Aqsa Mosque to offer prayers.
Witnesses said that the Israeli police set up barriers at the entrances to the Old City and allowed only the elderly to reach Al-Aqsa Mosque.
The Israeli police also set up checkpoints at the outer gates of Al-Aqsa Mosque.
Hundreds of people performed Friday prayers in the streets near the Old City, after they were prevented from reaching the mosque.
A large number of police forces were also deployed in the Wadi al-Joz neighborhood near the Old City, and prevented worshipers from reaching the mosque, witnesses added.
Israel has launched air and ground attacks on the Gaza Strip in retaliation for the Hamas attack, killing at least 21,320 Palestinians, mostly children and women, and injuring 55,603 others, according to health authorities in the enclave.
Authorities claim the Hamas attacks have killed around 1,200 Israelis.
The Israeli onslaught has left Gaza in ruins, with 60% of the enclave’s infrastructure damaged or destroyed and nearly 2 million residents displaced amid acute shortages of food, clean water, and medicines.
*Writing by Ikram Kouachi