Palestinian Muslims marked a tense and somber last Friday of Ramadan in Jerusalem, with minor scuffles between worshippers and Israeli police controlling the entrance to the Al-Aqsa mosque, the third holiest site in Islam.
Some 120,000 people descended on the shrine, which dominates the Old City, officials said, with grand mufti Muhammad Ahmad Hussein urging the faithful to brave the heavy police presence because of the war in Gaza, reports AFP.
Adli al-Agha, 53, from Jerusalem, told AFP that many people "had to flee dawn prayers" after Israeli police deployed a mini-drone spraying tear gas to disperse people chanting "Glory to Allah".
"In our soul and our blood, we sacrifice for you Al-Aqsa," worshippers declared, according to Agha.
Police said they arrested eight people for inciting terrorism.
Yasser Basha, from Tulkarem in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, said police were restricting entrance to the mosque to the old and the very young. Only men over 55 and women over 50 were being allowed inside, he said.
"If it wasn't for the war, things would have been much easier," he added.
Friday also marks Laylat al-Qadr ("The Night of Destiny"), the spiritual climax of the Muslim holy month, which commemorates the moment the archangel Gabriel first appeared to Prophet Hazrat Muhammed(PBUH) and began revealing the holy Quran.
It is the night when Muslims believe their prayers are most likely to be granted, a festive moment while children stay up late and shops stay open till the small hours.
But many Palestinians are not in the mood to celebrate and are praying for an end to the war in Gaza after almost six months of bloodshed.
Bd-pratidin English/Lutful Hoque
