Only males aged 55 and up, women 50 and up, and children 12 and below when accompanied by a first-degree relative were permitted to attend prayers at Al\u2011Aqsa. The restrictions only apply to the West Bank Palestinians.<\/p>\n
\t Worshipers trickled into the Old City throughout the morning, many carrying prayer mats and beads as shopkeepers sold children\u2019s toys, bread and sweets to passersby. Once prayers ended, the crowd that had gathered in the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound flowed out.<\/p>\n Extensive roadblocks manned by Border Police officers were placed throughout the area after prayers ended, leading many of those exiting to leave through Lion\u2019s Gate, the easternmost entrance to the Old City.<\/p>\n Ezaldeen Mustafah, a Palestinian from the West Bank, was among those lamenting the restrictions.<\/p>\n \t \u201cWe need more people than this,\u201d Mustafah said.<\/p>\n Some Palestinians from the West Bank on Friday said they were turned away from crossing into Jerusalem even though they had permits.<\/p>\n Jihad Bisharat said he was told his permit had been canceled and was sent back.<\/p>\n Israel\u2019s army didn\u2019t immediately respond to a request for comment.<\/p>\n Thousands of officers in the Jerusalem District police and Border Police were deployed throughout the Old City and its environs. Police said Ben Gvir, who oversees law enforcement in his ministerial role, conducted a \u201csituational assessment\u201d earlier in the morning at the site.<\/p>\n \t \u201cOf course, there is freedom to worship, whoever wants to pray, ahlan wa\u2019sahlan. Whoever comes to disturb the peace, we will thrash him,\u201d the far-right minister said in a post announcing his visit, using a term that means \u201cwelcome\u201d in Arabic.<\/p>\n \u201cThrough deterrence, we are achieving governance,\u201d he wrote. \u201cWith deterrence, people don\u2019t mess around, and that is how it should be and should continue.\u201d<\/p>\n \t The Temple Mount is the holiest site in Judaism and was home to the ancient biblical temples. Muslims call the site the Noble Sanctuary. Today, it is home to Al-Aqsa Mosque, the third-holiest site in Islam, and the iconic Dome of the Rock shrine.<\/p>\n The site has seen violence, particularly with large crowds gathering during Ramadan, and has seen clashes between Palestinians and Israeli security forces over the years, with Hamas using its religious symbolism as a means of rallying support.<\/p>\n Agencies contributed to this report<\/p>\n
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\n\t\tMuslim worshipers offer prayer on the first Friday of the holy month of Ramadan at the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, on the Temple Mount, in Jerusalem\u2019s Old City, on February 20, 2026. (AP Photo\/Mahmoud Illean)<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/F260220JA06-640x400.jpg\")
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\n\t\tMuslim worshippers pray on the first Friday of the holy month of Ramadan, at the Al-Aqsa atop the Temple Mount compound in Jerusalem\u2019s Old City on February 20, 2026. (Jamal Awad\/Flash90)<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/AFP__20260220__98B92E2__v1__HighRes__PalestinianIsraelConflictReligionIslamRamadan-640x400.jpg\")
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\n\t\tIsraelisecurity forces along an alley in the Old City of Jerusalem on the first Friday of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan on February 20, 2026. (Photo by Ilia YEFIMOVICH \/ AFP)<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/AFP__20260220__98BY39P__v2__HighRes__TopshotPalestinianIsraelConflictReligionIslamRa-640x400.jpg\")
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\n\t\tAn Israeli Border Police officer searches a Palestinian man before the first Friday noon prayers of the holy month of Ramadan in the Old City of Jerusalem on February 20, 2026. (Photo by JOHN WESSELS \/ AFP)<\/p>\n
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