Tens of thousands attend third Friday of Ramadan in Al-Aqsa
Tens of thousands attend third Friday of Ramadan in Al-Aqsa
m.u.h
25/05/2019170
Tens of thousands of Palestinian Muslim worshippers over 40 years from East Jerusalem, the West Bank and Arab towns across Israel attended the third Friday of Ramadan at Al-Aqsa Mosque Compound in Jerusalem.
WAFA correspondent said that the worshippers made their way to the mosque compound, passing into East Jerusalem via Qalandia military checkpoint, as a severe heat wave with temperatures as high as 39 struck the region.
The extremely hot conditions prompted the deployment of emergency medical teams by the Islamic Waqf Department and Palestinian Red Crescent Society outside and inside the mosque compound to deal with emergencies resulting from heat strokes and heat exhaustion.
Men over 40, children under 13 and women of all ages are allowed to enter East Jerusalem without permits for the occasion on Fridays. Men under 40, however, are banned entry into the city.
Israeli authorities beefed up police deployments in different parts of the Old City of Jerusalem as well as at all the alleys leading to the mosque compound.
Israeli forces fired tear gas canisters towards Palestinian young men under 40 years who attempted to break through the section of Israel’s wall surrounding Jerusalem in order to attend the Friday prayer at the mosque compound and detained a number of them.
The tear gas was spread around by the wind, causing dozens of Palestinians gathering at the checkpoint to suffocate.
For many Palestinians in Jerusalem and across the occupied Palestinian territory, Ramadan is directly connected to the Al-Aqsa Mosque.