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☆ Threat of Unrest Looms Over Al Aqsa Mosque on First Friday of Ramadan
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-15 | by ( Hiba Yazbek | More About Hiba Yazbek | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

A heavy Israeli police contingent checked worshipers on Friday entering the Aqsa Mosque compound in Jerusalem, where the threat of unrest loomed over the conclusion of Ramadan, the holiest month for Muslims and one that has taken on added significance during the war in Gaza. Al Aqsa is one of the holiest sites for Muslims and part of a compound that is sacred to Jews, who call it the Temple Mount. The rules have tightened further since Oct. 7, and most Palestinians may not be able to answer Hamas’s call to flock to Al Aqsa even if they want to. Israel’s agency overseeing policy for the Palestinian territories said on Monday that only men over age 55, women over 50 and children under 10 would be allowed to enter Israel from the West Bank to pray at Al Aqsa on Fridays during Ramadan. The group has issued similar statements during its war with Israel.

Persons: Israel, ”, Al Aqsa, “, Ayman Abu Ramouz, Rami Nazzal Organizations: West Bank Locations: Aqsa, Jerusalem, Gaza, Hamas, Israel, Al Aqsa, Al, Ramallah

☆ In the West Bank, Palestinians Struggle to Adjust to a New Reality
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-02 | by ( Yara Bayoumy | Rami Nazzal | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

At one of the main checkpoints between the West Bank and Jerusalem, only two of four lanes were open recently and the hours of operation were shortened to 12 hours a day. Haneen Faroukh, 26, said she now had to wait for hours to run simple errands. Israeli soldiers had sown panic among ordinary Palestinians who make the crossing frequently to reach jobs, doctors, relatives or just their homes. They have stopped allowing many Palestinians to work in Israel, a lifeblood for the local economy. And they have increased the intensity of raids and arrests in West Bank neighborhoods.

Persons: Haneen Faroukh, ”, Faroukh, “ We’re Organizations: West Bank and, West Bank Locations: West Bank and Jerusalem, Israel, West Bank

Hamas freed two dozen hostages held in Gaza and Israel released nearly 40 imprisoned Palestinians on Friday, completing the first exchange in a tense, temporary truce that halted the fighting after seven weeks of war. All the hostages freed by Hamas were expected to be swiftly moved to Israel to receive urgent medical care. Israel has said that it would extend the cease-fire by a day for every 10 additional hostages that Hamas releases. Hamas has not commented directly on the offer but its top political official, Ismail Haniyeh, said his group was committed to making the truce work. But it would also allow both Israel and Hamas to try to better their positions for battles to come.

Persons: Thais, Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel, Ismail Haniyeh, President Biden Organizations: International Committee, Ministry, Hamas, Gaza, West Bank Locations: Gaza, Israel, Egypt, Qatar, United States

It was the moment the crowd outside the gates of Ofer prison just outside the West Bank city of Ramallah had awaited for hours: A large white bus carrying Palestinian prisoners and detainees exited the prison gates and made its way through the crowd around 8 p.m. Friday. Throngs of Palestinians erupted in cheers while drivers revved their engines in celebration. Fireworks erupted, replacing the sounds of tear-gas canisters that Israeli security forces had fired to disperse the crowd throughout the afternoon. As the prisoners and detainees made their way to a nearby municipality building, hundreds of people raced alongside them, waving Palestinian and Hamas flags. Hanan Saleh al-Bargouthi, 59, who was among those released, hugged her husband and grandchildren as tears clouded her eyes.

Persons: Ofer, Throngs, ”, Hanan Saleh al Organizations: West Bank, Hamas Locations: Ramallah, Israel, Gaza

Even before the Hamas attacks, settler violence was hitting its highest levels since the United Nations began tracking it in the mid 2000s. According to U.N. figures, there used to be one incident of settler violence a day. The West Bank, which has been rocked by major uprisings before, feels primed to explode. Gaza and the West Bank are two separate areas that Israel captured in the 1967 Arab-Israeli war. Roughly half a million Jewish settlers live in the West Bank, alongside an estimated 2.7 million Palestinians.

Persons: ”, “, Israel, Naomi Kahn, ” “, “ I’m Organizations: West Bank, United Nations, Israel Defense Forces, Palestinian, Palestinian Authority Locations: Gaza, West, Israel

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