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First Ramadan Friday Prayers at Al-Aqsa Draw 80,000 Under Tight Israeli Curbs

Strict permit caps with a sweeping police deployment defined access as worship resumed under the war's shadow.

Overview

  • Israeli authorities limited West Bank entry to 10,000 permits, restricted to men over 55, women over 50, and children up to 12.
  • Israeli police said they deployed more than 3,000 officers across Jerusalem for the first Friday prayers of Ramadan.
  • The Islamic Waqf reported about 80,000 worshippers at the compound, well below prewar Ramadan peaks.
  • Reporters saw arrests near Old City gates and Palestinians said some permits were canceled, following police warning calls to many men aged 15 to 55.
  • Jerusalem police stated the prayer concluded without incidents, as Palestinians voiced grievances over the heavy security presence that Israel frames as necessary and not a shift in control.