Israel severely restricted Palestinian access to the Al-Aqsa Mosque for the first Friday of Ramadan, allowing only 10,000 permit-holding residents from the occupied West Bank—a tiny fraction of the 250,000 worshippers seen in previous years.

According to Al Jazeera’s Friday report, entry is limited to children under 12, men over 55, and women over 50, leaving hundreds of people stranded at the Qalandiya checkpoint as authorities claimed the quota was filled by late morning.

These restrictions attempt to break generations-old cultural bonds and sever ties between East al-Quds (Jerusalem) and the West Bank.

This exclusion occurs alongside a dangerous surge in settler violence, characterized by live ammunition and land seizures, including a recent attack where a Palestinian-American was killed.

According to the UN, over 1,100 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces and settlers since 2023.

Further escalating tensions, Israel recently approved a de facto annexation plan to claim large tracts of the West Bank as state property.

This move, which shifts the burden of proof of ownership onto Palestinians, has drawn condemnation from over 80 UN member states for undermining self-determination and the possibility of a Palestinian state.