Israel Tightens Access, 60,000 Worshippers Pray at Al-Aqsa
Restrictions were in place at the mosque gates and in Jerusalem's Old City, while West Bank and Gaza residents remained barred.
More than 60,000 worshippers performed Friday prayers at the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in Jerusalem amid tight restrictions by Israeli forces, the Islamic Endowments Ministry said. Israeli authorities tightened access at the mosque gates and across Jerusalem's Old City as tens of thousands of Palestinians arrived to pray. The ministry also said Palestinians from the West Bank and Gaza Strip have been blocked from entering Al-Aqsa for the past three years. In an 8 June report, the ministry recorded 23 assaults on Al-Aqsa Mosque in May and 74 bans on prayer at the Ibrahimi Mosque in Hebron. On the same day, thousands of Israeli settlers reportedly entered the Al-Aqsa compound through the Moroccan Gate under police protection.