Under the new Israeli government restrictions, only men over the age of 55, women over 50, and children under 12 will be permitted to enter the Al-Aqsa Mosque.
Israeli authorities continued to impose restrictions on Palestinians’ access to Jerusalem to pray at the Al-Aqsa Mosque, for the third consecutive Friday during Ramadan, despite worshippers having obtained permits.
Israeli forces at the Qalandiya checkpoint north of Jerusalem inspected personal identification cards and prayer permits, the Anadolu news agency reported.
For the third consecutive Friday during Ramadan, Israeli authorities continued to impose restrictions on Palestinians’ access to Jerusalem to pray at the Al-Aqsa Mosque, despite having obtained permits https://t.co/8Q3FE6DAph pic.twitter.com/5vZu2UwywE
— Anadolu English (@anadoluagency) March 21, 2025
Dozens of Palestinians, despite having the necessary permits, were reportedly blocked from entering Jerusalem.
‘No Reason’
Ibrahim Awad, from the town of Al-Yamon in the northern West Bank, told Anadolu: “I reached the checkpoint, and after they checked my ID, I was denied entry for no reason.”
“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 said, denying the accusations.
Stressing that he only expressed sympathy for victims, he said “The occupation silences voices. They don’t even want us to sympathize with the victims, and they don’t want us to reach Jerusalem.”
Palestinian Muslim worshipers try to cross the Israeli military checkpoint of Bethlehem to pray at the Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied Jerusalem on the third Friday of Ramadan. pic.twitter.com/h6Co7Uclcj
— WAFA News Agency – English (@WAFANewsEnglish) March 21, 2025
Ismail Abdullah, 67, expressed frustration after he was denied entry despite obtaining a permit.
“I’ve never seen a situation like this. It’s a terrible situation… What can we say? The Israelis don’t want anyone in Palestine, not in Jerusalem, nor anywhere else,” he stated.
Another elderly man, Sadiq Mohammed, from the town of Beit Ur al-Tahta in the Ramallah district said: “At my age, they still deny me access to Jerusalem and to pray at Al-Aqsa, claiming I don’t have a prayer permit.”
“At this age, what permit do they expect me to have to pray at Al-Aqsa?” he questioned.
Only Men over 55
On March 6, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu approved stricter restrictions on Palestinian worshippers’ access to the Al-Aqsa Mosque on Fridays during the sacred month of Ramadan.
Under the new restrictions, only men over the age of 55, women over 50, and children under 12 will be permitted to enter Al-Aqsa Mosque.
Tens of thousands of Muslim worshipers prayed at Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa Mosque compound on the third Friday of Ramadan, despite the massive Israeli restrictions. pic.twitter.com/BdvjYnrcnw
— Quds News Network (@QudsNen) March 21, 2025
However, access will be contingent upon obtaining a prior security clearance and undergoing thorough security checks at designated checkpoints.
The decision coincides with ongoing daily incursions by hundreds of illegal Israeli Jewish settlers into Al-Aqsa Mosque during the holy month alongside increasing restrictions on Palestinians traveling from the West Bank.
80,000 Worshippers
The official Palestinian news agency WAFA reported that according to the Jordanian-run Islamic Waqf Department in Jerusalem, an estimated 80,000 worshippers participated in the prayer at the mosque on Friday.
However, Israeli forces imposed strict restrictions on the entry of worshipers from the West Bank into the occupied city of Jerusalem to attend the prayers.
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The Israeli military reinforced its presence at key checkpoints, including the Qalandiya checkpoint, located to the north of Jerusalem, and the “300” checkpoint, which separates the cities of Bethlehem and Jerusalem, the report noted.
(PC, Anadolu, WAFA)
Israelis are scumbags. i keep trying to prove myself wrong, but i keep reading stories like this. All they want is to oppress people and murder babies. At this point, any person who supports ” Israel ” or the IDF is also a scumbag. And the regular, good Jews have themselves to blame for allowing it.