GAZA: Around 40,000 Palestinians offered Eid Al-Adha prayer at Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied East Jerusalem on Sunday, but there was no festive atmosphere, instead mourning the victims of Israel’s ongoing bombardment on the Gaza Strip for over eight months now.
The Islamic Endowments Department in Jerusalem issued a statement confirming the attendance despite strict closures that prevented thousands from entering. The Palestinian news agency WAFA reported that Israeli occupation forces attacked worshippers both on their way to and from Al-Aqsa Mosque, preventing dozens from entering to perform the Eid prayers.
“In the early morning hours, occupation forces entered the courtyards of Al-Aqsa Mosque, checked the identities of the worshippers, obstructed their movement, and prevented many young men from entering, forcing them to pray outside the mosque’s doors,” WAFA added.
Meanwhile, thousands of Palestinians also performed Eid Al-Adha prayers at the Ibrahimi Mosque in Hebron, located in the southern occupied West Bank, despite the Israeli army imposing stringent security restrictions on worshippers.
Ghassan Al-Rajabi, Head of the Hebron Endowments Department, told Anadolu that “the measures taken by the occupation on Eid Al-Adha aim to prevent Palestinians’ access to holy sites, especially the Ibrahimi Mosque.” He added, “Despite all these measures, between 8,000 and 10,000 Palestinians offered Eid Al-Adha prayers in the mosque.”
Worshippers were required to pass through military checkpoints and electronic gates to enter the Ibrahimi Mosque, according to Anadolu.
This year’s Eid Al-Adha is marked by the continued Israeli offensive on Gaza that has drawn widespread condemnation and demands for a ceasefire.
Since October last year, Israel has launched a relentless bombardment campaign killing nearly 37,300 Palestinians in Gaza, most of them women and children, with almost 85,200 others injured, according to local health authorities. The offensive has left vast areas of Gaza in ruins and subjected the population to a crippling blockade, limiting access to food, clean water, and medicine.
Israel faces accusations of genocide at the International Court of Justice, which recently ordered Tel Aviv to halt its operations in Rafah. More than 1 million Palestinians had sought refuge in Rafah before it was invaded on May 6.
