Thousands of Palestinian worshipers performed Friday prayer in the Aqsa Mosque in occupied Jerusalem amidst tight Israeli restrictions.

The Islamic Endowment Authority affirmed that around 50,000 Muslims performed the Friday prayer at the holy shrine.

Police forces also obstructed Muslim worshipers’ entry to the Aqsa Mosque through its gates, where they stopped, in particular, many young men and checked their IDs.

During the Friday sermon, Aqsa Mosque preacher Sheikh Yousef Abu Sneineh said that “Gaza has become a byword,” in reference to the 15-month-long Israeli war in the besieged Strip.

“We are now at the end of the month of Rajab, which reminds us of the Isra and Mi’raj journey. This month is the month of Jerusalem, in which the Salah al-Din conquest took place, and the Isra was from Mecca to the highest heaven.”

Israeli forces impose strict restrictions on the entry of worshipers to the Aqsa Mosque, especially on Fridays, preventing thousands of citizens from the West Bank from reaching Jerusalem to perform prayers at the Mosque, as they require the issuance of special permits to cross IOF military checkpoints surrounding the holy city. (ILKHA)