"Israel" to deploy 3,000 police officers in East Jerusalem for first Friday of Ramadan

"Israeli" police will deploy 3,000 officers across occupied East Jerusalem ahead of the first Friday prayer at Al-Aqsa Mosque during Ramadan, heightening security in the city.

A police statement on Thursday confirmed that additional forces would be stationed at key locations, including checkpoints and the narrow alleys of the Old City, in anticipation of large crowds.

Read more: Hamas responds to Trump's ultimatum on captives release

"Israel" expects tens of thousands of Palestinian worshippers at Al-Aqsa Mosque on Friday. Last month, authorities raised the security alert level and stationed 3,000 officers on roads leading to the mosque compound.

Since Ramadan began, "Israel" has tightened restrictions on Palestinian worshippers from the occupied West Bank, barring them from entering Al-Aqsa Mosque. Only Palestinians from East Jerusalem and Arab citizens of "Israel" have been granted access.

Palestinians see these measures as part of a broader "Israeli" effort to alter the religious and demographic identity of East Jerusalem, including Al-Aqsa Mosque, and reduce its Arab and Islamic presence.

"Israel" occupied East Jerusalem in the 1967 Arab-"Israeli" War and annexed it in 1980, a move not recognized by the international community.

In July 2024, the International Court of Justice ruled "Israel’s" prolonged occupation of Palestinian territories illegal and called for the removal of all "Israeli" settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.