Israeli authorities prevented Palestinians from the West Bank from entering the Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied East Jerusalem for the second consecutive Friday of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.
Witnesses reported a significant presence of Israeli soldiers and police in the city, restricting access to the mosque.
Several men and women were turned away by Israeli forces for not having the "necessary permits," according to Anadolu Agency (AA).
Abdullah Hamayel, 63, a Palestinian carrying his American passport, said Israeli authorities denied him entry to Jerusalem, citing lack of a permit despite his documentation.
"Jerusalem is more precious to us than anything, but today we were prevented from even praying there," said Hamayel, originally from the town of Beita, south of Nablus.
Beida Omar, 71, said the Israeli army prevented her from entering Jerusalem last Friday, claiming she did not follow instructions to return to the West Bank before the evening prayer.
"This is untrue. They just want to prevent us from entering Jerusalem. I have a permit, but it is withdrawn," she said.
Before the start of Ramadan, the Israeli government announced that "during the Fridays throughout the month of Ramadan, people from Judea and Samaria (the Torah name for the West Bank) will be allowed to enter Jerusalem subject to possessing a valid magnetic (security) permit and assessing the security situation."
The Israeli army added that only men over the age of 55, women over the age of 50 and children under the age of 10 will be allowed into Jerusalem.
However, Israeli soldiers and police are obstructing and preventing Muslims from offering weekly Friday prayers in congregation during the fasting month again.
Since the outbreak of the war on Gaza on Oct. 7, 2023, police have closed all checkpoints around East Jerusalem to residents of the West Bank.
Israel launched its war on Gaza after an Oct. 7 cross-border incursion by Hamas. It has since killed nearly 32,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, and pushed the territory to the brink of famine.
Israel has also imposed a crippling blockade on the Palestinian enclave, leaving its population, particularly residents of northern Gaza, on the verge of starvation.
The war has pushed 85% of Gaza's population into internal displacement amid acute shortages of food, clean water and medicine, while most of the enclave's infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed, according to the U.N.
Israel stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), which, in an interim ruling in January, ordered Tel Aviv to stop genocidal acts and take measures to guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in Gaza.