250,000 Muslim Worshipers Gather to Pray at Al-Aqsa Mosque Ahead of Quds Day (+Video)
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Islamic authorities in Jerusalem al-Quds say 250,000 people gathered to attend prayers at Al-Aqsa Mosque yesterday, as freedom seekers worldwide prepare to mark the International Quds Day.
Defying Israeli threats against such gatherings, the faithful congregated at the mosque on Wednesday evening, close to the golden-topped Dome of the Rock.
The large turnout came ahead of International Quds Day, which falls on the last Friday of holy month of Ramadan, whereby people rally across the world in support of the Palestinian cause of liberation from Israeli aggression and occupation.
The occasion has been designated by Imam Khomeini, the late founder of the Islamic Republic in Iran.
Following the great assembly, Twitter users widely shared videos and photos of the prayers on their accounts.
As in previous years, tensions between Palestinians and Israel have ramped up since the beginning of Ramadan, with Israeli forces stepping up raids of al-Aqsa Mosque, assaulting Muslim worshipers inside prayer halls, and providing protection to the Israeli settlers desecrating Islam’s third holiest site.
Last Friday, at least 150,000 Palestinians thronged Al-Aqsa Mosque to attend prayers, despite restrictions imposed on the entry of worshipers to the holy site.
On the same day, Israeli forces raided the mosque after dawn prayers and fired rubber-coated bullets, stun grenades and tear gas at the Palestinian worshipers at the Dome of the Rock inside the compound.
