Thousands of Muslim worshipers reached the holy Al-Aqsa Mosque in Occupied Jerusalem and performed the last Friday prayer of Ramadan in its courtyards amid strict Israeli measures.

Sheikh Azzam Al-Khatib the Director of Jerusalem Waqf Department said that despite the strict measures of the occupation Palestinians from the 1948 occupied lands the West Bank and Jerusalem were able to access the Mosque.

Sheikh Yusuf Abu Sneineh the preacher of Al-Aqsa Mosque talked about the virtues of the blessed month of Ramadan calling on the Palestinians to protect the Islamic holy sites in Palestine.

Since the early morning hours Israeli occupation policemen were deployed in various alleys of the city set up iron barriers and checked the ID cards of the citizens entering the Al-Aqsa Mosque and Old Jerusalem and detained a number of them.

The occupation police also blocked the entry of people who don’t have entry permits at the checkpoints surrounding Jerusalem with the aim of reducing the number of Muslim worshipers arriving at Al-Aqsa Mosque.

The streets of Sultan Suleiman Jericho Al Samwal Nablus Salah Al-Din Amr bin Al-Aas were closed at six a.m. and will be closed until six p.m. according to a statement by the Israeli police.

Thousands of Muslim worshipers reached the holy Al-Aqsa Mosque in Occupied Jerusalem and performed the first Friday prayer of Ramadan in its courtyards amid strict Israeli measures.

Jerusalemite sources said that 70000 Muslim worshipers performed Friday prayer at Al-Aqsa while thousands were prevented from entering Jerusalem.

Since the early hours the occupation police have tightened their measures on citizens especially West Bank residents who tried to access Al-Aqsa Mosque.

During the Friday Khutba (sermon) Sheikh Ekremah Sabri the preacher of the Al-Aqsa Mosque affirmed that these Muslim crowds represent a practical response the normalizers declaring that there is no bargaining negotiation or giving up any part of the Mosque.

He affirmed that the Aqsa Mosque will remain open in Ramadan and after Ramadan for Muslim worshipers despite the Israeli occupation’s measures.

Sabri pointed out that the Al-Aqsa Mosque is being subjected to systematic violations by settler groups and the occupation police.

He denounced the occupation police’s actions of cutting off the wires of the Mosque’s loudspeakers to prevent the Adhan (call to prayer).

The preacher also renewed the call for boycotting those who sold real estate to occupation institutions.