On Friday, the first day of Ramadan, some 90,000 Muslims, including thousands from the regions of Judea and Samaria, went to the Temple Mount in Jerusalem’s Old City for the first mass prayers of the Islamic holy month, according to the Waqf, a Jordanian-appointed organization that oversees Islamic sites on the Mount, a site considered sacred
Israeli police have deployed some 3,000 officers, including border guards, on the streets of Jerusalem to ensure security on the day.
On Thursday night, the Israeli government announced that it would allow a limited number of Muslims from Judea and Samaria to enter the Temple Mount during Fridays of Ramadan, following a similar model to last year.
Under the plan, men over 55, women over 50 and children under 12 will be allowed to enter Jerusalem, provided they have a permit and pass a security check first.
The government said Palestinians would pass through “normal checkpoints, with a full security check before entering Israel.” They said the goal was to ensure freedom of worship for people of all religions and nationalities.
There is no entry limit for Arabs who are Israeli citizens.
Police have stepped up security, especially on the outskirts of Jerusalem, in the eastern part of the city and in the narrow streets of the Old City.
The goal is to maintain order, control traffic and allow people to practice their faith in safety.
Security measures were increased on Friday to prevent anti-Israeli groups from using Ramadan to provoke unrest, violence or terrorist attacks.
Terrorists who were released from prison as part of a recent deal with the Hamas group in Gaza and who were allowed to return to Jerusalem and Judea and Samaria have been banned from climbing the Temple Mount.
Before the start of Ramadan, Hamas, an Islamist terror group, tried to incite attacks in Jerusalem, including on the Temple Mount.
On February 27, Harun Nasser al-Din, who works for Hamas in Jerusalem but has been living abroad for the past few months, called for an “all-out confrontation against the occupation’s encroachments and an uprising against its plans.” The group also criticized restrictions on the number of Palestinian worshippers, calling it “a dangerous escalation that threatens freedom of worship at the Al-Aqsa Mosque,” “”which sits on the Temple Mount.
This site is very important: for Jews, it is the holiest site in Judaism, and for Muslims, it is the location of the Al-Aqsa Mosque, one of the most important sites of the Islamic faith.
As such, the police and government are careful to balance security with the right of all to pray freely.
Published in 03/07/2025 17h05
Text adapted by AI (Grok) and translated via Google API in the English version. Images from public image libraries or credits in the caption.
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