Tens of thousands of worshippers gathered at the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque to perform Friday prayer yesterday, with absent souls of the martyrs in their hearts, turning the prayer into a message of steadfastness and faith affirming that “Al-Aqsa has always been and will remain a mosque for Muslims alone, and it is not permissible for others to pray there,” as described by its preacher.

The Islamic Waqf Department in occupied Jerusalem estimated the number of worshippers to exceed fifty thousand, their hearts and souls directed towards the martyrs of Gaza and the West Bank, in a Friday that embodied the meaning of resilience in the face of hardships.

At dawn yesterday, the fourth day of the Jewish “Sukkot” holiday, Israeli occupation forces imposed a tight siege around the Old City. They closed main roads, especially the entrances to the Old City, notably Bab al-Amoud, Bab al-Asbat, and the town of Silwan and its neighborhoods, using iron barriers and red tapes, in a clear attempt to deter worshippers from reaching the mosque. The occupation forces also prevented vehicles and buses from approaching Bab al-Asbat, forcing thousands of worshippers to take detours and pushing young men to try to reach the mosque through multiple gates after their entry was refused by heavily armed forces.

At the entrances to the Old City and Al-Aqsa Mosque, occupation checkpoints were spread out, where police and special forces stopped worshippers and randomly checked their IDs, subjecting many young men to provocative and punitive body searches. Many were prevented from reaching the mosque and performing the prayer, including dozens of steadfast worshippers gathered at Bab al-Asbat and Al-Ghazali Square, whom the occupation police called outside the Old City gates and prevented from approaching the mosque entrances.

Meanwhile, the preacher of Al-Aqsa Mosque, Sheikh Dr. Khaled Abu Juma, affirmed the central status of Al-Aqsa Mosque in Islamic creed, as it is the focal point of the Isra and Mi’raj miracle, the gateway from earth to heaven, the first Qibla, and the third holiest mosque.

He warned against the dangers of division and disputes that erode the body of the nation, concluding by affirming that despite all the procedures, raids, and violations, Al-Aqsa Mosque remains the beating heart of the nation and the main driver of the will to persevere, calling for making pilgrimage to it and praying there at all times, so that all barriers become merely temporary obstacles on the path to truth and freedom.