Tens of thousands of Palestinians performed Friday prayers at the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque, despite the occupation forces besieging the Old City and the mosque and preventing young men from reaching it.
The Islamic Endowments Department in Jerusalem stated that 50,000 worshipers performed Friday prayers at Al-Aqsa Mosque, and the funeral prayer in absentia for the souls of the martyrs of the Gaza Strip and the West Bank.
Safa Agency correspondent reported that the occupation forces deployed in the city streets, the entrances to the Old City and Al-Aqsa Mosque, and set up iron barriers at their gates.
The forces prevented dozens of young men from reaching Al-Aqsa Mosque, after stopping them at the gates of the Old City, seizing and checking their IDs, and abusing others.
Al-Aqsa Mosque preacher Khaled Abu Juma said, “Our hearts and minds fly there to Gaza, as a new year has entered upon them, and they are suffering from fear, hunger, thirst, severe cold, lack of treatment, shortage of medicines, spread of diseases and epidemics, and the spread of famine.”
Abu Jumaa criticized the world’s failure to support Gaza, adding: “A year has passed and a new year is upon them, and the world is watching them through open channels and live broadcasts. All international values, organizations, and systems have fallen.”
He continued: “A year has passed and gone, and the Islamic nation is still absent from us, in a deep sleep. A year has passed and Gaza is suffering from a rift, or rather rifts, and it is enduring calamities, disasters, and conflicts.”
Regarding Palestine, Abu Jumaa said: “A year has passed and Palestine is groaning from wounds without the necessities of life. We live in strife and we see our blood flowing, our bodies scattered, our limbs charred, our flowers withering, and our buildings demolished.”
Sheikh Abu Jumaa called for unity, adding: “How much we need, in light of the ordeal, to abandon differences, unite our ranks, and unify our word, so that we may be one hand against those who oppose us.”
Abu Jumaa stressed that “Jerusalem is a history, a land, holy sites and landmarks that are a legacy for Muslims only. It is our duty to care for it, as it is not a choice that the hesitant hesitate about or a matter that the confused are confused about.”
He stressed that “caring for the city of Jerusalem is a religious duty, as it is the land of the prophets and messengers, and the cradle of the heavenly messages. How can Muslims forget it and neglect it, when it is linked to their faith and their law?” He affirmed that Jerusalem is a trust in the necks of Muslims, and that God will question them about it on the Day of Judgment.