200,000 Worshippers Perform Isha, Tarawih Prayers in Al-Aqsa Mosque
(AWP) - Up to 200,000 worshippers performed isha (night prayers) and tarawih (Sunnah prayers in Ramadan in congregation) on the night of the 27th of Ramadan at the Al-Aqsa Mosque, according to the Palestinian news agency WAFA.
It added that this year, Israeli authorities had imposed extra restrictions on Al-Aqsa Mosque visitors.
Muslims doing itikaf set up their tents in the portico of the mosque during the last 10 nights of Ramadan, said WAFA, noting that they have been subject to Israeli police harassment and detentions. 27 Palestinians have been detained to date.
Itikaf is when a Muslim man secludes himself in a mosque to devote himself to prayer while keeping a fast.
Israeli police reinforced their presence in the city of Jerusalem, and deployed 3,000 personnel in the surroundings of the Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Old City.