Israel restricts Palestinian access to Al Aqsa mosque for first Friday of Ramadan

Israeli authorities have restricted Palestinian access to the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound for the first Friday prayers of the holy month of Ramadan, allowing only a fraction of the crowds seen in previous years.

Officials said no more than 10,000 Palestinians from the occupied West Bank would be permitted to enter occupied East Jerusalem to attend prayers at Al Aqsa Mosque, one of Islam's holiest sites.

Entry was limited to those holding special permits, with eligibility restricted to children under 12, men over 55 and women over 50.

Hundreds of worshippers queued at the Qalandiya checkpoint near Ramallah in the hope of crossing.

By mid-morning, Israel's Channel 12 reported that only about 2,000 Palestinians had managed to pass through towards Jerusalem, amid heightened military alert at checkpoints separating the West Bank from East Jerusalem.

In total, around 80,000 worshippers, including Palestinian citizens of Israel (known as 1948 Palestinians), performed Friday prayers at Al Aqsa, according to the Jerusalem Governorate.

The figure marks a sharp decline compared with previous years, when numbers reached up to 250,000 before Israel's genocidal war on the Gaza Strip. 

Dozens of Israeli soldiers were deployed outside the Qalandiya checkpoint, the New Arab's correspondent reported. Journalists were confined to a small designated area and prevented from moving freely or carrying out their work.

The Jerusalem Governorate said Israeli forces had detained medics at the checkpoint who were assisting worshippers, forced Palestinian volunteer teams to remove their uniforms, and expelled journalists. 

Jihad Bisharat, from the northeast West Bank city of Tubas, told The New Arab that only one gate had been left open while three others were closed, restricting the flow of worshippers.

Bisharat said that although he was above the permitted age threshold, he was denied entry after being told he did not hold a valid permit.

"The occupation forces kept one gate open while they closed three other gates, to restrict worshippers and push them not to pass," he said. "But even if they narrow down on us, we will try to reach Al Aqsa."

He added: "Al Aqsa is in our hearts, and every Muslim should travel to Al Aqsa Mosque. If Al Aqsa is gone, we no longer have a cause."

Muhammad Abu Salem, from Nablus, also told The New Arab that he had set out early in the morning in the hope of reaching the mosque, only to find access restricted to a narrow gate through which men, women and elderly people were funnelled.

Despite being 58 years old, he said he was refused entry because he did not have a permit or prior coordination.

"I came to pray at Al Aqsa, which is my right," he said, adding that he has been unable to reach the mosque for two years due to what he described as arbitrary measures.

The Palestinian news agency WAFA later reported that Israeli authorities claimed the West Bank entry quota had been filled by late morning, citing the Jerusalem Governorate.

Israel has imposed strict controls on the movement of West Bank Palestinians into Jerusalem for years.

The measures have intensified during the genocide in Gaza, with significant changes introduced to access procedures during Ramadan.

Unlike in previous years, when those over 55 were generally exempt, permits are now required across all age groups.

Meanwhile, Israel’s National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir entered the Al Aqsa compound on Friday, during the imposed restrictions, accompanied by senior police officials.

Such provocative visits by far-right Israeli ministers to the site are viewed as a challenge to the longstanding status quo arrangement governing the compound.

The restrictions come amid a surge in violence in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem.

According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, more than 1,100 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces and settlers in the West Bank since 2023, while more than 10,000 people have been forcibly displaced.