Occupation suppresses worshippers around Al-Aqsa and escalates pursuit of journalists in Jerusalem

On Tuesday evening, the Israeli occupation authorities prevented worshippers from performing the Isha and Tarawih prayers in the areas surrounding the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque. This measure coincided with a noticeable escalation in the pursuit of media crews working in occupied Jerusalem, in an attempt to impose a comprehensive siege on the city and its holy sites.

Official sources in Jerusalem Governorate reported that occupation forces suppressed crowds of worshippers who tried to gather in the vicinity of Bab Al-Sahira (Herod's Gate) on the northern side of the Old City. These forces used physical force, pushing, and beating to disperse the worshippers and interrupt their prayers, forcing dozens to leave the area under threat of arms.

The area witnessed an intensive deployment of occupation police who set up iron barriers to prevent any gatherings, coinciding with the twenty-eighth day of the blessed month of Ramadan. The forces tightened their military measures in various alleys of Jerusalem, hindering the movement of citizens and their access to available places of worship.

In the Bab Al-Asbat (Lion's Gate) area, occupation forces imposed a security cordon, preventing Jerusalemites from entering the Old City, with the exception of registered residents of the area. This restriction led to the emptiness of the streets leading to Al-Aqsa from worshippers, an unusual scene during the last ten days of the holy month.

The blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque has remained closed to worshippers since late February, with the occupation authorities citing current security conditions as a pretext for this closure. This comprehensive ban on prayer and i'tikaf is an unprecedented event in the city since 1967, as religious revival manifestations were absent on the 'Orphan Friday' and Laylat al-Qadr.

As part of the systematic expulsion policy, the occupation authorities issued a decision to ban the released prisoner Musa Fatafta from Al-Aqsa Mosque for six months. Fatafta joins a long list of hundreds of Jerusalemites against whom similar expulsion orders have been issued in recent weeks, with the aim of emptying the mosque of its worshippers.

For its part, the Palestinian Journalists' Syndicate warned of the danger of targeting media personnel in Jerusalem, stressing that the occupation seeks to monopolize the media narrative. The syndicate indicated in a recent report that the attack primarily aims to obscure the truth about the violations taking place within the holy city.

The syndicate documented a series of systematic violations during January and February of this year, including arrests and field interrogations of journalists. The measures also included preventing coverage in friction areas and direct physical assaults, in addition to banning the work of several media outlets active in Jerusalem.

The syndicate considered that using the policy of expulsion from Al-Aqsa Mosque as a tool against journalists represents the peak of targeting to silence the Palestinian voice. It clarified that these practices aim to reduce media presence around Al-Aqsa, especially during times of field tensions and continuous incursions.

In conclusion of its statement, the Journalists' Syndicate called for urgent international action to provide protection for Palestinian journalists in Jerusalem. It stressed that the silence of international institutions encourages the occupation to continue violating the freedom of journalistic work and disregard international laws and conventions.

The occupation's measures reflect an organized policy aimed at reducing the Palestinian media presence and preventing the transmission of an accurate picture of what is happening on the ground at Al-Aqsa Mosque.