Ma’an Correspondent – The occupation forces prevented dozens of Palestinian youth from entering Al-Aqsa to perform Friday prayers, beat and pushed a number of them, and suppressed prayer at the Lions’ Gate.

The occupation forces erected iron barricades at the gates of Al-Aqsa Mosque, especially on Bab al-Asbat Road, and arrested young men arriving there and checked IDs, in addition to conducting a physical search and searching bags and suitcases.

Coinciding with the time of the call to prayer, the forces imposed restrictions on the entry of worshipers to Al-Aqsa via the Lions’ Gate road. By forcing them to walk on a designated road only, which led to crowding in the place, and refused to allocate any lane for women and the elderly, and during that time, it prevented dozens of young men and boys from entering Al-Aqsa to perform prayers, and assaulted them by pushing and beating them to force them to leave the place, and also assaulted the elderly by pushing them while demanding them. By passing and removing
iron barriers from the road.

The forces also suppressed prayers at Lions Gate, prevented young men from praying, removed them, and assaulted them by beating them with batons and pushing them. Despite this, the young men performed prayers at the closest point to Al-Aqsa where they were able to be, ‘the road between Ras al-Amud and Lions Gate.’

At dawn prayer, the forces prevented dozens of worshipers from entering Al-Aqsa, pursued them until they drove them out of the Old City, and beat them.

While 45 thousand worshipers performed Friday prayers in Al-Aqsa Mosque,

The measures of oppression, beatings, and preventing Muslims from entering Al-Aqsa freely come at the same time as allowing thousands of settlers to enter Al-Aqsa and pray there on the ‘Jewish Passover.’

Source: Maan News Agency