Frederick Douglas Waako

Photo Credit: Ahmad Gharabli

The first Friday prayers of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan passed without violence at the revered Al-Aqsa mosque under tight Israeli restrictions, amid fears that the ongoing Israel-Hamas war would spark clashes in Jerusalem’s Old City.

According to the Times of Israel, more than 3,000 police officers and border police soldiers were deployed across the Old City of Jerusalem ahead of the prayers amid fears of disturbances after Hamas called on Palestinian worshipers to barricade themselves inside the Al-Aqsa Mosque.

However, a CNN report says there were no “unusual” incidents as an estimated 80,000 worshippers attended the prayers according to the Islamic Waqf, that administers the mosque compound.

Prime Minster Benjamin Netanyahu had earlier on in a statement said, “Ramadan is holy for Muslims, and the sanctity of the holy day will be preserved this year, as it is every year”, effectively dismissing restrictions sought by far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, including on Arab Israelis’ access to the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound atop the mount.

According to the Associated Press, in recent years the Islamic holy month has been an occasion for violent confrontations between Palestinians, Israel authorities and Jewish worshippers at the Temple Mount considered the holiest site in Judaism and one of the Islam’s holiest sites.

The Wall Street Journal reports that all worshippers prayed in rows in the stone alleyways adjacent to the mosque, listening to a sermon that spoke to traditional religious themes of giving to the poor and the sanctity of life.

However, the Times of Israel reports that West Bank’s Palestinians’ access to the compound for Friday’s prayers was limited to men over 55, women over 50 and children under 10.

Israel also demanded all visitors to obtain a special permit through a mobile application. In previous years there were no age restrictions on women and elderly worshippers did not need to apply for an online permit.

At Qalandiya Checkpoint, which sits between Jerusalem and the West Bank city of Ramallah, The Associated Press spoke to at least three elderly men who said they were turned back for not having a permit. Imad Jalalmah from the city of Jenin, said he was completely unaware that this new restriction affected him.

“How could this happen?” he lamented from outside the checkpoint “I traveled approximately 150 kilometers (95 miles) from Jenin to here, and when I finally arrived, I was denied passage”.

At the checkpoint separating Jerusalem from Bethlehem, worshippers said there were similar problems.

“Many old people over the age of sixty don’t have modern telephones,” said 57 year old Khaled Thweib

Meanwhile, Friday also marked the first time Palestinians from the occupied West Bank were able to travel to Jerusalem since Hamas launched its assault on southern Israel killing 1,200 people and taking around 250 others hostage. Israel’s invasion of Gaza in response has killed more than 31,000 people, according to Gaza’s health ministry.