Israeli authorities stopped Palestinians from the West Bank from going to the Al-Aqsa Mosque in East Jerusalem for the third Friday of Ramadan.
Anadolu Agency quoting witnesses reported that Israeli forces were at the crossings, checking who could go to Jerusalem and stopping some people. At places like the Qalandia crossing, many Palestinians tried to go to Jerusalem from the West Bank.
One elderly Palestinian who had a permit to go to Jerusalem but was told he couldn’t because Israel said he was part of a “terrorist organisation.” Another man, aged 59, also had a permit but was stopped at the Qalandia checkpoint, the international media reported.
Israel had said people from the West Bank could go to Jerusalem on Fridays during Ramadan if they had permits and if it was safe. But people from Gaza couldn’t go, and Israel has made it harder for them to go to Jerusalem since October when there was a fight between Gaza and Israel.
Israel also stopped many things from going into Gaza, so people there don’t have enough food or other important things. Many people in Gaza had to leave their homes because they were not safe any more. The buildings and roads in Gaza are also very damaged, making life even harder for the people there.
As Israel continues genocide in Gaza, 71 more Palestinians were killed and 112 others injured over the last 24 hours, taking the death toll to 32,623, the territory’s Health Ministry said on Friday.
“The Israeli occupation (forces) committed seven massacres against families in the Gaza Strip, leaving 71 martyrs and 112 injured during the past 24 hours,” a ministry statement said.
“Many people are still trapped under rubble and on the roads as rescuers are unable to reach them,” it added.