EgyptMiddle East

Israelis lift Palestinian age restrictions for al-Aqsa prayers

For the first time in weeks, Israeli police lifted age restrictions on Palestinian worshippers for Friday prayers at al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem, as Hamas called for another 'day of rage' in the occupied West Bank.
 
“For the moment, no age limitations on worshippers’ entry,” said a police spokeswoman on Friday. Israel has for weeks restricted entry to al-Aqsa, the third holiest site in Islam, to men over 40. 
 
However, police have kept a heavy presence in the city, as Palestinian Hamas early for 'day of rage' protests across the West Bank after noon prayers.
 
At least 49 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces this month, including protesters and attackers who have stabbed eight Israelis to death, as violence over the Israeli occupation spiralled.
 
In the latest attack, the Israeli army said a 17-year-old named Mussab Ghanimat stabbed an Israeli soldier near the Israeli settlement of Gush Etzion, south of Bethlehem, before being shot and injured. The teenager, from the nearby village of Sureif, was said by the Israeli army to be in a stable condition. The soldier was stabbed in the shoulder.
 
Two other Palestinians from Sureif were shot in Beit Shemesh, 30km west of Jerusalem, on Thursday evening after allegedly stabbing an Israeli man. One of the Palestinians, Mahmoud Ghneimat, died at the scene. The other man, Miqdad al-Heeh, was critically injured. The Israeli man suffered moderate injuries to his upper body.
 
Due to the closure of Bethlehem checkpoint by Israeli authorities for the next three days because of a Jewish holiday, protests are expected to be intense. Israeli security forces will be deployed around the checkpoint, as thousands of Jewish Israelis are expected to visit Rachel's tomb, located near the separation wall where clashes typically take place.
 
According to prisoner rights group Addameer, more than 870 Palestinians have been arrested by Israel since the beginning of October: more than 500 arrested in the occupied West Bank, 213 in Jerusalem, and 152 in Israel. 
 
The total includes more than 130 children, the group said.

Back to top button