{"id":13394,"date":"2026-02-21T15:55:11","date_gmt":"2026-02-21T22:55:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/ramadans-first-friday-prayers-are-held-at-jerusalems-al-aqsa-mosque\/"},"modified":"2026-03-25T19:31:03","modified_gmt":"2026-03-25T19:31:03","slug":"ramadans-first-friday-prayers-are-held-at-jerusalems-al-aqsa-mosque","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/ramadans-first-friday-prayers-are-held-at-jerusalems-al-aqsa-mosque\/","title":{"rendered":"Ramadan\u2019s first Friday prayers are held at Jerusalem\u2019s Al\u2011Aqsa Mosque"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Palestinian
Palestinian worshippers pass through the Israeli military Qalandia checkpoint between the West Bank city of Ramallah and Jerusalem on their way to attend Friday prayers at Al-Aqsa Mosque during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, Friday, Feb. 20, 2026. (AP Photo\/Leo Correa)<\/span>Leo Correa<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>\n

TEL AVIV, Israel \u2013 Tens of thousands of Palestinians gathered under heavy Israeli restrictions at Jerusalem\u2019s Al\u2011Aqsa Mosque compound for the first Friday prayers of Ramadan, including some who were allowed to enter from the occupied West Bank.<\/p>\n

The prayers took place for the first time since a shaky cease\u2011fire deal between Israel and Hamas went into effect in October. It was the first opportunity many had to leave the West Bank and pray at the site in Jerusalem\u2019s Old City since Ramadan last year.<\/p>\n

Israel restricted the number of Palestinians allowed to enter from the West Bank to 10,000 on Friday and allowed only men 55\u2011and\u2011older, women 50\u2011and\u2011older and children up to age 12. It has imposed similar restrictions in the past, citing security concerns.<\/p>\n

A frequent flashpoint<\/div>\n

The hilltop, which Jews refer to as the Temple Mount, is the holiest site in Judaism and was home to the ancient biblical temples. Muslims call the site the Noble Sanctuary. Today it is home to Al\u2011Aqsa Mosque, the third\u2011holiest site in Islam.<\/p>\n

It has frequently been a flashpoint in the Israeli\u2013Palestinian conflict.<\/p>\n

Israeli police said more than 3,000 officers were deployed across Jerusalem. They said their presence was not meant to show aggression or force but was aimed at providing help in case of an emergency.<\/p>\n

Many Palestinians view the heightened Israeli security presence and increasing visits by religious and nationalist Israeli Jews as a provocation. They fear that Israel intends to take over or partition the compound. The Israeli government denies having any such plans.<\/p>\n

Jerusalem\u2019s Islamic Waqf, the Jordanian religious authority that administers the compound, said about 80,000 people attended. In normal times, Ramadan Friday prayers at Al\u2011Aqsa can draw up to 200,000.<\/p>\n

Ezaldeen Mustafah, a Palestinian from the West Bank, was among those lamenting the restrictions.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe need more people than this,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Some Palestinians from the West Bank said Friday they were turned away from crossing into Jerusalem even though they had permits. Jihad Bisharat said he was told his permit had been canceled and was sent back. Israel\u2019s army did not immediately respond to a request for comment.<\/p>\n

The Old City, home to major religious sites sacred to Jews, Christians and Muslims, is in east Jerusalem, which Israel captured in the 1967 Mideast war along with the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. The Palestinians want all three territories for a future state with its capital in east Jerusalem. Israel annexed east Jerusalem, a move not recognized by most of the international community, and considers the entire city its capital.<\/p>\n

\"Muslim
Muslim worshippers offer prayer on the first Friday of the holy month of Ramadan at the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in Jerusalem's Old City, Friday, Feb. 20, 2026. (AP Photo\/Mahmoud Illean)<\/span>Mahmoud Illean<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>
Ramadan in Gaza<\/div>\n

Many Palestinians said the month\u2019s typically festive spirit is eluding them as they struggle with grief and loss following two years of conflict in Gaza sparked by Hamas\u2019 Oct. 7, 2023, attack into Israel.<\/p>\n

\u201cAll the mosques have been bombed,\u201d said Ramiz Firwana, a Gaza resident who gathered with other worshippers for a Friday sermon and prayers held in a schoolyard.<\/p>\n

On Thursday evening, families sat amid the rubble and destruction for iftar, the meal held at the end of the daily dawn\u2011to\u2011dusk fast.<\/p>\n

\u201cDespite the displacement, the pain and the destruction, we want to rejoice and live,\u201d said Mohammad Kollab, from Khan Younis. \u201cWe are not a people destined only for destruction and killing.\u201d<\/p>\n

Israel\u2019s military offensive has killed more than 72,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza\u2019s Health Ministry, and caused widespread destruction while displacing most of the territory\u2019s residents. Israel launched the offensive after Hamas\u2011led militants killed about 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and took another 251 hostage in the initial attack.<\/p>\n

The Oct. 10 U.S.\u2011brokered cease\u2011fire deal ended major military operations and allowed the release of the remaining hostages. But Palestinians, including civilians, are still being killed in near\u2011daily strikes that Israel says target militants who threaten or attack its forces.<\/p>\n

Associated Press reporters Sam Metz contributed from Ramallah, West Bank, and Wafaa Shurafa from Gaza City, Gaza Strip.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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