Israeli army officers closed the old city area of Jerusalem and the
Al-Aqsa Mosque to Palestinian worshipers whose ages are less than 45 on
Friday.
There is a strong presence of soldiers and border police officers in Jerusalem today. All checkpoints around the city were closed and residents from neighboring West Bank cities were not allowed into Jerusalem today. Soldiers used tear gas and sound bombs to force the residents away from the checkpoints who gathered there demanding their right to pray, Palestinian sources reported.
Palestinian residents of Israeli areas and Jerusalem over 45 years old were only allowed in the city today to enter the Aqsa Mosque for Friday prayers.
Israeli authorities decided late on Thursday night to impose these military measures in the city of Jerusalem in order to stop residents from protesting against the Beit Hannoun massacre that happened on Wednesday when Israeli tanks shelled residents’ houses in the town in northern Gaza and killed 20 civilians, including 11 children; 16 of the 20 are members of the same family.
