- During Friday’s Jumma prayers this week, Israeli soldiers discharged tear gas on worshippers making their way to Masjid al Aqsa.
- According to reports, there has been a notable reduction in the number of worshippers permitted to partake in the prayers, as Israeli forces have implemented rigorous security checks and have obstructed access routes to the sacred site.
In the East Jerusalem neighbourhood of Wadi al Joz, Israeli troops employed tear gas against Palestinians en route to their Friday prayers at the Al Aqsa Mosque. Reports indicate a woman significant decrease in the number of worshippers allowed to participate in the prayers, as Israeli forces imposed stringent security checks and blockading access routes to the sacred site.
Participation in the congregational Friday prayer holds a mandatory status for Muslim men. The right to offer their supplications in one of the most sacred mosques, seeking solace and solidarity during these profoundly challenging times in Palestine, is a privilege that is being systematically denied to the Palestinian people.
A crucial inquiry to consider is whether the prevention of Muslims from exercising their right to pray and harming worshippers en route to the mosque aligns with Israel’s assertion of ‘It’s right to self-defence’.
