35,000 people pray inside Aqsa Mosque first day of Ramadan

Despite Israeli Occupation restrictions, thousands of Palestinians gathered at the Al-Aqsa Mosque for Isha and Tarawih prayers on Monday, marking the start of Ramadan.

The Palestinian Islamic Endowments Department reported that around 35,000 Palestinians prayed inside the mosque, defying the occupation's measures.

Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF), however, barred young men from entering the mosque and tightened security in the area for the fifth consecutive month.

Reports indicated that the IOF violently assaulted a young man near one of the mosque's entrances and arrested him, along with Al-Aqsa Mosque guard Khalil Al-Tarhouni from Old Jerusalem.

Earlier in the day, the forces installed barbed wire near the mosque's fence to hinder worshippers from entering.

Al-Aqsa Mosque preacher Sheikh Ikrimah Sabri urged people to visit the mosque and emphasized the need for a peaceful worship environment, cautioning against potential Israeli Occupation provocations during Ramadan.