250,000 Palestinians pray at al-Aqsa

At least 250,000 Palestinians have prayed at the al-Aqsa Mosque and the surrounding areas, despite a massive presence of Israeli soldiers and police who sought to block Muslims from entering.

Worshippers came from all over Palestine, except for the blockaded Gaza Strip, to pray at Islam’s third holiest site on the last Friday of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

Witnesses said that many of the worshippers were blocked from entering the town at the northern entrance near the Qalandia refugee camp, setting off clashes between Israeli soldiers and Palestinians, Palestinian media outlets reported late on Friday.

Israeli sources estimated the number of worshippers to be around 135,000.

Palestinians who live in the West Bank and are not residents of East al-Quds (Jerusalem) are not allowed to enter the city unless they carry a special permit from the Israeli authorities, which is rarely granted. Those entering without a legal permit risk being arrested and being forced to pay huge fines to the Israeli government.

At least one helicopter and a surveillance balloon were flying above the al-Aqsa Mosque area throughout the prayer time.