Hamas slams Israeli restrictions on access to al-Aqsa mosque during Ramadan

The Palestinian resistance movement Hamas says Israeli restrictions on access to the al-Aqsa Mosque compound on the first Friday of Ramadan have failed to break the will of the Palestinian nation.

“We affirm the necessity of continuing mass mobilization and intensifying steadfast presence in our blessed mosque, seizing the virtue of the holy month and protecting Al-Aqsa from the occupation’s plans and the ambitions of settlers,” Hamas said in a statement on Friday.

The Palestinian group further said, “The criminal Israeli occupying regime deliberately humiliates worshippers coming to Al-Aqsa Mosque through strict military measures and ongoing violations.”

“This constitutes a blatant violation of freedom of worship and an overt attempt to impose a Judaization reality in the blessed mosque,” the statement read.

The resistance movement denounced a series of punitive measures by Israeli authorities, which include restricting the number of worshippers to around ten thousand only and imposing arbitrary limitations on Palestinians’ entry under the pretext of age and permits.

On the first Friday of the holy month of Ramadan, Palestinians in the occupied West Bank faced Israeli restrictions on access to the al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied East al-Quds.

Hundreds of Palestinians were sent back at checkpoints as they attempted to reach the holy site to perform Ramadan prayers.

The Israeli regime earlier said that it would only allow ten thousand Palestinians to enter the Al-Aqsa Mosque for the Friday prayers.

Israeli authorities added that they would allow entry for men aged 55 and older, women aged 50 and older, and children up to age 12 accompanied by a first-degree relative.

Israel’s Channel 12 reported that only about 2,000 Palestinians were able to cross through the Qalandiya checkpoint towards occupied al-Quds by the morning, amid an Israeli military high alert at checkpoints separating the occupied West Bank and East al-Quds.

The Israeli military has increased deployments and tightened restrictions across occupied al-Quds.

Elsewhere in the statement, Hamas called for a massive presence at the holy compound.

Sheikh Ekrima Sabri, the longest-serving imam of Al-Aqsa Mosque, recently urged Arab and Muslim nations and their leaders to support al-Quds and take responsibility for protecting the holy site.

He warned that the Israeli regime, led by Benjamin Netanyahu, was carrying out an aggressive plan targeting the sacred compound.

Sabri warned that these measures are expected to significantly reduce the number of worshippers compared to previous years.

The new restrictions come amid what Palestinian authorities, rights groups, and the United Nations say is a dangerous surge of violence by illegal settlers in the occupied West Bank and occupied East al-Quds, characterized by the widespread use of live ammunition, direct shooting at Palestinian citizens, the burning of local Palestinian homes, and land seizures.

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