Tens of thousands of worshippers performed Friday prayers at Al-Aqsa Mosque on Friday, despite the increased security measures imposed by Israeli occupation forces at checkpoints surrounding Jerusalem and the Old City.

The Islamic Endowments Department in Jerusalem reported that tens of thousands of people performed Friday prayers at Al-Aqsa Mosque, where the sermon included prayers for the souls of the martyrs of the Gaza Strip and the West Bank.

Occupation forces deployed heavily in the streets of the Holy City and around the Old City, conducting arrests and searches targeting worshippers heading to the mosque. They also prevented a number of young men from entering the Old City and forced those deported from Al-Aqsa Mosque to leave.

The occupation authorities have continued to impose restrictions on the entry of worshippers to Al-Aqsa Mosque since October 7, 2023, by placing iron barriers at its gates, checking the identities of those entering, and obstructing their access to the mosque.

Al-Aqsa Mosque is subjected to daily raids by settler groups under the protection of the occupation police, except on Fridays and Saturdays, as part of an attempt to impose a temporal and spatial division on the mosque.