Around 70,000 Palestinians performed Friday prayers at the Aqsa Mosque in occupied Jerusalem despite heightened Israeli restrictions imposed on worshippers and access to the holy site, according to the Islamic Waqf Department in Jerusalem.

Israeli forces tightened security measures around the Aqsa Mosque, the Old City and surrounding streets, restricting the movement of Palestinian worshippers and preventing dozens of young men from reaching the mosque.

Metal barriers were erected along streets leading to the Old City and around the mosque, while Israeli forces stopped worshippers and checked their identification documents. A young Palestinian man was also arrested near Bab Hutta in the Old City, according to local reports.

Earlier in the morning, thousands of Palestinians gathered at Aqsa Mosque for dawn prayer despite the heavy Israeli security presence.

Worshippers arrived from various parts of occupied Jerusalem, the occupied West Bank and Palestinian communities inside Israel. Many gathered in the mosque’s courtyards and prayer halls to perform prayers.

Dozens of young Palestinians from Jerusalem and towns inside Israel also gathered near the Yusufiya Cemetery, adjacent to Jerusalem’s Old City walls, where they performed dawn prayers amid a heavy Israeli security deployment.

Israeli authorities have continued to tighten restrictions around the Aqsa Mosque, while Israeli settlers have increasingly carried out incursions into the compound, particularly during Jewish holidays.

Palestinians and Islamic officials have repeatedly warned that such measures are aimed at changing the existing status quo at the holy site and imposing greater restrictions on Muslim access and worship.

Despite the restrictions, the large turnout for Friday prayers demonstrated the continued determination of Palestinians to maintain their presence at the Aqsa Mosque and preserve their right to worship at one of Islam’s holiest sites. (ILKHA)