The final Friday of Ramadan was stressful and solemn for Palestinian Muslims in Jerusalem, where small altercations broke out between worshippers and Israeli police guarding the entrance to the Al-Aqsa mosque, the third-holiest place in Islam.
According to officials, the grand mufti Muhammad Ahmad Hussein urged the faithful to brave the heavy police presence because of the conflict in Gaza, and some 120,000 people visited the shrine, which dominates the Old City.
Jerusalem resident Adli al-Agha, 53, told AFP that numerous individuals “had to flee dawn prayers” as Israeli police used a mini-drone equipped with tear gas to scatter protesters shouting “Glory to Allah.” “In our soul and our blood, we sacrifice for you Al-Aqsa,” worshippers declared, according to Agha.
According to police, they detained eight persons for encouraging terrorism.
Yasser Basha, a resident of Tulkarem in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, claimed that only the elderly and extremely young were allowed entry to the mosque due to police restrictions. He added that the only people allowed inside were men over 55 and ladies over 50. “If it wasn’t for the war, things would have been much easier,” he added. Friday also marks Laylat al-Qadr (“The Night of Destiny”), the spiritual climax of the Muslim holy month, which commemorates the moment the archangel Gabriel first appeared to Prophet Hazrat Muhammed(PBUH) and began revealing the holy Quran.
Muslims consider this night to be the most probable time for their prayers to be answered. It is a joyous occasion when stores remain open until the wee hours of the morning and youngsters stay up late.After nearly six months of carnage, many Palestinians, however, are not in the mood to rejoice and are instead praying for an end to the conflict in Gaza.
