Thousands of people gather to perform the third Friday prayer of the holy month of Ramadan at Al-Aqsa Mosque despite the obstacles imposed by Israel in Jerusalem on March 21, 2025. (Photo by Mostafa Alkharouf/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Israel has continued to impose restrictions on Palestinian Muslim worshippers attempting to access the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound as the Islamic holy month of Ramadan approached its third consecutive Friday, drawing nearly 80,000 attendees despite the strict limitations.
Various media reports indicate that severe weather conditions, including heavy rainfall and extreme cold, added to the restrictions.
However, the Jordan-appointed Directorate of Al-Aqsa Mosque and Jerusalem Affairs stated on Friday that the tightened Israeli security measures and weather conditions did not affect the largest turnout of worshippers attending Friday prayers.
Reports also detail that worshippers gathered in Al-Aqsa’s courtyards and prayer halls for Quran recitations and religious study circles.
Many remained for Iftar and Taraweeh prayers later in the evening.
In early March, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu authorised stricter restrictions on Palestinian access to the Al-Aqsa Mosque on Fridays during Ramadan.
The new measures permit entry to the mosque only for men over 55, women over 50, and children under 12.
Dozens of Palestinians were reported to have been blocked from entering Jerusalem, particularly those residing in the occupied West Bank, as Israeli forces were seen at the northern Jerusalem Qalandiya checkpoint inspecting prayer permits and personal identification.
West Bank resident Ibrahim Awad told Turkish news agency Anadolu that he “reached the checkpoint, and after they checked my ID, I was denied entry for no reason.”
He added: “After I left, I received a text message on my phone stating that I was banned from entering Jerusalem due to ‘incitement’ on social media.”
Awad rejected such claims and insisted that he had expressed solidarity with Palestinian war victims, particularly following Israel’s resumption of attacks on the Gaza Strip.
“The [Israeli] occupation silences voices. They don’t even want us to sympathise with the victims, and they don’t want us to reach Jerusalem,” Awad stressed.
The latest measures coincide with the ongoing daily incursions by hundreds of illegal Israeli settlers into the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound.
Since the war in Gaza erupted on 7 October 2023, Israeli authorities have implemented stringent measures restricting Palestinians’ access from the West Bank to East Jerusalem.
Palestinians view these restrictions as part of Israel’s wider strategy to Judaise East Jerusalem, including the Al-Aqsa Mosque, and erase its Arab and Islamic identity.
Tensions have also escalated across the occupied West Bank since the onset of the war on Gaza, with the Palestinian Health Ministry reporting that over 937 Palestinians have been killed and more than 7,000 injured in attacks by Israeli forces and settlers.
Palestinian rights groups have warned that Israel’s ongoing military campaign in the West Bank have also led to a surge in mass arrests- including the targeting of Palestinian children via raids and forced displacement.Â
