Third Friday of Ramadan, Israel obstructs the entry of Palestinians into Jerusalem
For the third Friday of the current month of Ramadan, Israel continues to impose restrictions on the arrival of Palestinians from the West Bank to the city of Jerusalem to perform Friday prayers at Al-Aqsa Mosque.
Eyewitnesses told Anadolu that the Israeli army reinforced its forces on Friday at the crossings leading to the city of Jerusalem, checked the identities of the Palestinians, and refused some of them entry.
The Qalandiya Crossing, north of Jerusalem, and Checkpoint 300, south of the city, witnessed active movement at the entry gates from the West Bank towards Jerusalem.
Before Ramadan, Israel issued a decision regulating the entry of West Bank residents into East Jerusalem to perform Friday prayers at Al-Aqsa Mosque.
Under the decision, the Israeli authorities allow women over the age of 50 and holding special permits to enter Jerusalem, male children up to 10 years old, and men over 55 years old, on the condition of obtaining a prayer permit.
Citizen Salama Abdel Qader told Arab media: “I was prevented from arriving in the city of Jerusalem this morning even though I fulfill all the Israeli conditions and am 60 years old and have a permit.”
He added: “After obtaining the permit, I received a message at dawn (Friday) stating that I was prevented from entering Jerusalem on the pretext that I am an activist in a terrorist organization, as they said.”
He continued: “Israel is striving to impose a new reality at Al-Aqsa, and prevent the Palestinians from reaching it. We must march towards Al-Aqsa because its issue is an ideological issue. Even if we are not allowed to enter, we will pray here at the military checkpoints.”
In turn, Asem Rayhan (59 years old) said that he was prevented from entering the city of Jerusalem after being detained for an hour at the Qalandiya checkpoint.
He explained to Anadolu that he had a permit, but the forces prevented him from entering Jerusalem.
The new measures do not include residents of the Gaza Strip, as the Israeli authorities prohibit their access to Jerusalem, except after obtaining special permits.
West Bank: Two Palestinians were injured by Israeli army gunfire
On Thursday, two Palestinians were injured by Israeli army gunfire during their storming of cities and towns in the occupied West Bank.
The Palestinian Red Crescent Society said in a statement that its crews “dealt with two injuries from live bullets during the Israeli occupation forces’ storming of the Qalandiya refugee camp, north of Jerusalem.”
It added: “Among the two injuries, one was in the back and the other was in the lower extremities, and they were taken to the hospital for treatment.”
Eyewitnesses told Arab media that the Israeli army carried out incursions into the Qalandiya camp north of Jerusalem, the city and camp of Jenin (north), the town of Shweika in Tulkarm Governorate (north), and towns in the Hebron and Bethlehem governorates (south).
Israeli forces stormed the Qalandia refugee camp north of Jerusalem, where confrontations broke out with Palestinians, according to witnesses.
Witnesses indicated that the army used live bullets and gas bombs during the operation.
They said that the Israeli army stormed the Shweika neighborhood in Tulkarm, launched raids in a number of homes, and arrested a number of citizens.
Israeli army forces also stormed several neighborhoods in the city of Jenin, and surrounded a house in its camp before arresting one of its residents, according to eyewitnesses.
Witnesses indicated that an armed clash took place between Palestinians and the Israeli army.
The situation in the West Bank is witnessing noticeable tension, as a result of Israel’s escalation of raids, arrests, and incursions into Palestinian towns and villages, in addition to its restrictions on the entry of worshipers into Al-Aqsa Mosque during the current month of Ramadan.
This comes as Israel has been waging a devastating war on the Gaza Strip since October 7, 2023, leaving tens of thousands of civilian victims, most of them children and women, a humanitarian catastrophe and massive infrastructure destruction, which led to Tel Aviv appearing before the International Court of Justice on charges of “genocide.” .
