On the third Friday of the holy month of Ramadan, Israeli occupation forces continued to impose strict restrictions on the entry of worshippers from the West Bank into occupied Jerusalem to perform prayers at Al-Aqsa Mosque.

The occupation army reinforced its presence at the Qalandia military checkpoint north of occupied Jerusalem, and the "300" checkpoint separating the cities of Bethlehem and Jerusalem, and checked citizens' IDs, and prevented men under 55 years of age and women under 50 who had obtained "special permits" from entering Jerusalem. Despite this, thousands of citizens have flocked since this morning through the checkpoints in an attempt to reach Al-Aqsa Mosque.

Eyewitnesses reported that occupation forces turned back dozens of elderly people at the Qalandia and Bethlehem checkpoints as they were on their way to Al-Aqsa Mosque, claiming they did not have the required permits to enter.

They added that the occupation forces closed the gates of the Qalandia military checkpoint and prevented anyone from entering for about half an hour before reopening them. They also detained a journalist and interrogated him on the spot after obstructing the work of the press crews at the site.

The occupation forces also imposed strict restrictions on the gates of Al-Aqsa Mosque, checked the IDs of young men at the entrances to the Old City and the gates of the mosque, and prevented a number of them from entering.