PICTURES| 200,000 Palestinians perform Eid Al-Fitr prayer at Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa Mosque
Occupied Jerusalem (QNN)- Nearly 200,000 Palestinian worshipers performed Eid Al-Fitr prayer at Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa mosque on Monday, the first day of the religious festival.
In the early hours of this morning, Jerusalem’s Islamic Waqf said, thousands of worshipers from occupied Jerusalem, West Bank and 1948-occupied territories flocked to the holy site to perform the Eid Al-Fitr prayer which started at 6:25 am local time, despite Israel’s strict measures.
Eid Al-Fitr marks the end of Ramadan, the month of fasting, prayer and reflection observed by Muslims worldwide. For Palestinian Muslims, worship at the Al-Aqsa Mosque — the third-holiest site in Islam — is a central part of the religious festival.
After performing the prayer, the Palestinian worshipers listened to the Eid sermon by the mosque’s preacher, Sheikh Mohamed Salim, who called for protecting the holy site from the Israeli violations.
The Palestinians were waving flags of Palestine and holding banners reading “Jerusalem isn’t for sale” at the golden-topped Dome of the Rock.
The Palestinians exchanged congratulations and distributed sweets at the courtyards of the holy site in celebration of the Eid. Volunteers also distributed toys to children in the Dome of the Rock area.
