1. The Israeli occupation prevented Christian citizens from the West Bank from reaching occupied Jerusalem on Sunday to participate in Palm Sunday celebrations.

Today, the Eastern and Western Christian churches celebrate Palm Sunday, the last Sunday before Easter, and the commemoration of the entry of Jesus Christ into the city of Jerusalem.

The Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem and All Palestine and Jordan, Theophilos III, the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, and other patriarchs and heads of churches presided over Palm Sunday masses and prayers at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in the Old City. The mass was attended by a group of bishops, priests, monks and nuns, and a limited number of worshippers, most of whom were from Jerusalem and the 1948 territories, after the Israeli occupation prevented thousands of Christians from the West Bank governorates from reaching the Holy City.

The Israeli occupation forces imposed strict military measures at the checkpoints surrounding Jerusalem and the Old City.

The occupation authorities require Palestinians, both Muslims and Christians, to obtain special permits to cross the military checkpoints surrounding the Holy City and access places of worship, particularly Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.

It also imposes restrictions on the issuance of permits, requiring citizens to possess a "card" issued by the occupation authorities after conducting what it calls a "security check" of the applicant. Citizens are then forced to download a special application onto their mobile devices and submit a permit application, which is often rejected.

The Deputy Superior General of the Custody of the Holy Land, Father Ibrahim Faltas, said that the occupation has issued only 6,000 permits to Palestinian Christians from the West Bank governorates, even though the number of Christians in those governorates is estimated at 50,000.

He added that for the second year in a row, a small number of pilgrims are participating in the Holy Week and Easter prayers in Jerusalem due to the repercussions of the war, noting that the churches will offer their prayers for peace, justice, and freedom for all the people of the Holy Land.

The traditional Palm Sunday procession of the Catholic Church will depart this afternoon from the Church of Bethphage to the Church of St. Anne in Salahieh, within the walls of the Old City. A special prayer service will then be held, led by Patriarch Pizzaballa.

Churches have canceled all festive events during the holidays in light of the ongoing Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip since October 7. Holidays are limited to masses, prayers, and religious rituals.

Palm Sunday prayers were also held in all Christian churches in the governorates of Bethlehem, Jericho, Ramallah, Nablus, and Jenin, while churches in the governorates of Ramallah, Nablus, and Jenin celebrated Palm Sunday.

In Gaza City, Palm Sunday masses and prayers were held at the Holy Family Church for Latins and the St. Porphyrius Church for Greek Orthodox, despite the difficult circumstances imposed by the ongoing Israeli aggression on the Strip.

It is worth noting that Easter, or "Resurrection Sunday," coincides this year according to both the Eastern and Western calendars.