Thousands attend the first Friday prayers of Ramadan at Al-Aqsa Mosque

Thousands attend the first Friday prayers of Ramadan at Al-Aqsa Mosque

Thousands of Palestinians prayed at the Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied Jerusalem on Friday, the first Friday of Ramadan, despite restrictions by Israeli authorities.

It is estimated that more than 70,000 people prayed in the mosque on the first Friday of Ramadan, the largest number of worshipers in the mosque since the coronavirus.

Sheikh Azzam al-Khatib, who heads the Waqf Islamic Affairs Council in Jerusalem, said more than 70,000 people offered Friday prayers at Al-Aqsa Mosque, which is a welcome development.

"Last Ramadan, the Israeli authorities did not allow anyone except me to enter Al-Aqsa Mosque," he said.

By noon, women, men, and children were seen blocking the mosque, although in several places Israeli forces set up barricades to prevent the Palestinian people from turning to the mosque.

Israeli authorities barred Palestinians from the West Bank from entering the mosque without documents for the Covid-19 vaccination, which provoked strong protests from Palestinians.

According to the Reuters news agency, citizens from the occupied West Bank cities of Ramallah and Bethlehem were seen queuing at checkpoints for entry since early morning and this was checked before they were allowed to enter Jerusalem. Whether they have been vaccinated or not.

Those from Israel's Shigar Arab cities, including East Jerusalem, were given easy access to Jerusalem because they had been vaccinated by Israel.

Palestinian officials have called the ban a conspiracy against the Palestinian people.

Akrama Sabri, who led Friday prayers, accused Israeli authorities of using the coronavirus vaccine as a tactic, saying they were obstructing the sacred duty of worship by using the vaccine as an excuse.

The Palestinian Foreign Ministry says Israel has turned Jerusalem into a military base.

However, Israeli officials have denied the allegations, saying they allowed a limited number of people to enter the mosque because of the high rate of virus transmission in the Palestinian territories.

He said the measures were taken to allow worship on the one hand and to prevent the spread of the virus in the region on the other.

Al-Aqsa Mosque, considered the most sensitive in the Middle East, has been the subject of controversy since Israel occupied East Jerusalem in 1967 and later made it part of Israel. The Israelis consider all of Jerusalem their capital and the center of Jewish faith, but the Palestinians consider it the capital of their future state.

Conflict over religious sites in Israel and Palestine has intensified since the epidemic, with Israel vaccinating more than half of its population, while the vaccination process in Palestine is slowing.

Palestinian and human rights groups have accused Israel of shirking its responsibilities.

Following the criticism, Israel extended its vaccination campaign to the Occupied Palestinian Territories, but also said that under the aslo Accords, the Palestinian authority was responsible for vaccination in its territories.