200.000 Muslim worshipers attended Isha and Taraweeh prayers on the last Friday of the month of Ramadan, known as Laylat al-Qadr, the holiest night of the month, at the mosque despite tighter restrictions and increased military forces at the gates of the holy site and across Jerusalem’s Old City.
Earlier on Friday, Israeli occupation forces imposed tighter restrictions on access to the holy site, denying West Bank worshipers access to Jerusalem, searching the identities of young men at the entrances to the Old City and the Al-Aqsa Mosque, and denying entry to many.
The occupying forces turned back dozens of elderly worshipers at the Qalandia and Bethlehem checkpoints, stating that they did not have the Israeli permits required to enter Jerusalem.
The Israeli police increased their presence in and around the Old City, deploying around 3.600 heavily armed police officers in and around Jerusalem’s Old City, and closed many roads around the Old City.
Police arrested 16 people at morning prayers at the Al Aqsa Mosque on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem.
One person was arrested for allegedly shooting fireworks at police, while others were detained for allegedly inciting violence and terrorism after they started chanting in support of Hamas, police said.
In one case, police used a drone to throw tear gas at a group.
Police say most of those arrested were young people from occupied East Jerusalem and northern Israel. One person was from the city of Nablus in the occupied West Bank, Klix.ba reports.
E.Dz.
