OCCUPIED JERUSALEM (Ahlul Bayt News Agency) - Thousands of Palestinians participated in the Friday prayers at the Aqsa Mosque despite Israeli occupation strict measures around occupied Jerusalem, the old city and the Aqsa Mosque’s surroundings.
The Imam of the Aqsa Mosque, Muhammad Husain, called on Muslims, during the Friday sermon, to remain steadfast in the face of Zionist aggressions to counter the dangers posed to their very existence in the holy city.
At the same time, hundreds of worshipers attended the Friday prayers at the two protest tents; the Red Cross compound where the Palestinian lawmakers threatened with expulsion are holding a sit-in for over five months and the Bustan protest tent in Silwan, the Jerusalem suburb threatened with demolition and expulsion of its residents.
The Imams said that the Aqsa Mosque is an Islamic holy place and that the Jerusalem residents will defend it at any cost. The called for national unity for the sake of God, the Aqsa Mosque and Jerusalem which is subject to occupation accelerated Judaization and the residents of which stand threatened with expulsion.
Israeli occupation troops and police were deployed in large numbers throughout the holy city. Roadblocks were setup on various roads and young people were stopped and their ID papers were checked. Barricades were placed at the gates of the Aqsa Mosque where many young people were stopped and the ID cards were confiscated until after the end of the prayers.
These strict security measures by the Israeli occupation came one day after the occupation barred worshipers under the age of 40 from entering the Aqsa Mosque while allowing dozens of extremist Jewish settlers to enter the Mosque’s plazas.
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