Palestinians hold Aqsa prayers in largest Ramadan gathering since Covid

Palestinians hold Aqsa prayers in largest Ramadan gathering since Covid

A Palestinian woman raises her arms in prayer at the Al-aqsa Mosque compound.



Gulf Today Report

 

Thousands of Palestinians streamed to Al-Aqsa mosque in Israeli-annexed east Jerusalem on the first Friday of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, in the largest such gathering since the coronavirus pandemic.

 

Sheikh Azzam al-Khatib, head of the Waqf Islamic affairs council, said he expected as many as 100,000 arrivals from Jerusalem, the Israeli-occupied West Bank .

 

 Palestinians take part in the first Friday prayers of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan.

 

It would be the highest number of Ramadan worshippers at Al-Aqsa since the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic more than a year ago, he told AFP.

 

Last Ramadan, "They (Israeli authorities) did not allow anyone to enter Al-Aqsa except for me."

 

By early afternoon, Palestinian women in headscarves and long robes were seated on the carpeted floor of the Al-Aqsa mosque compound reading the Quran