Eid Prayers At Al-Aqsa Mosque Followed By 40 Thousand Palestinians
JAKARTA - As many as 40,000 Palestinians performed Eid prayers at the Al-Aqsa Mosque in East Jerusalem on Sunday, but there was no visible atmosphere of holiday celebrations, but they mourned their Muslim brothers who were victims of the Israeli war in the Gaza Strip.
The Islamic Waqf Department in Jerusalem said in a statement there were as many as 40,000 worshipers who performed Eid prayers following a tight closure that prevented thousands more from entering Al-Aqsa.
Palestinian news agency WAFA reported that Israeli occupation forces attacked worshipers on Sunday morning on their way to Al-Aqsa Mosque and as they left the mosque and prevented dozens more from entering the Eid prayer.
In the early hours of the morning, occupation forces entered the courtyard of the Al-Aqsa Mosque, checked the identity of the worshipers, blocked their movement, and prevented many youths from entering, forcing them to pray outside the door of the mosque, the report added, as reported by Antara.
Meanwhile, thousands of Palestinians perform Eid prayers at the Ibrahimi Mosque in Hebron, the southern part of the occupied West Bank, despite security restrictions imposed by Israeli soldiers against the entry of worshipers.
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Head of the Hebron Waqf Department, Ghassan Al-Rajabi, told Anadolu that "steps taken by the occupation of Eid al-Adha aim to prevent Palestinians from accessing the holy places, especially the Ibrahimi Mosque."
"Despite the restrictions, around 8,000 to 10,000 Palestinians perform Eid prayers at the mosque," he continued.
According to the Anadolu correspondent, the congregation had to pass through the military checkpoint, then the electronic gate to enter the Ibrahimi Mosque and worship there.
Eid al-Adha, or Kurban Day, commemorates the willingness of Prophet Ibrahim to sacrifice his son on God's orders. This year's Eid holiday comes amid Israel's brutal attacks that have continued in the Gaza Strip since the Hamas attack on October 7 despite UN Security Council resolutions demanding an immediate ceasefire.