Thousands of Palestinians head to al-Aqsa for Ramadan prayers

Many had queued from before dawn at Israeli military checkpoints that control access to the Holy City from the rest of the occupied West Bank.

Israel had loosened entry restrictions ahead of Ramadan, which began last Saturday, to enable easier travel from the West Bank to East Jerusalem for Friday prayers and family visits. 

Women of all ages and men over 40 do not need entry permits in order to access Jerusalem for Friday prayers, according to the new restrictions.

Israel also allowed 100 men and women over the age of 55 from Gaza to enter Jerusalem for prayers.

Most of the more than 4.5 million Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza Strip cannot visit Jerusalem today without a permit.

Before the occupation Muslim pilgrims from across the Arab world travelled to the Holy City by train or flew to a defunct airport between Jerusalem and Ramallah.

Israeli police reinforcements were deployed across Jerusalem's Old City to provide security at the highly sensitive religious site, with an estimated 100,000 Palestinians participating in prayers in the al-Aqsa Compound.

Abdeljawad Najjar, 61, from the northern West Bank city of Nablus, was among those queueing at the Qalandia checkpoint, north of Jerusalem, to visit al-Aqsa, the third holiest site in Islam.

"It is a religious obligation to pray at al-Aqsa, regardless of the difficulties and obstacles," he said.

Kefaya Shrideh, 40, also from Nablus, voiced the concern, shared by many Palestinians, that far-right members of Israel's governing coalition might seek to change the longstanding rules governing the mosque compound, under which Jews can visit but not pray.

"It is important for us to pray at al-Aqsa and not to forsake it, because we are afraid the Jews will take it," she said.

The Israeli government has said it does not intend to change the status quo at the holy site, which sees Jordan exercise administrative control over the al-Aqsa mosque.

But in recent years, a number of far-right Israeli activists and MPs have sought greater access and control over the compound, leading to fears it could be divided into Jewish and Muslim areas.

Israel seized East Jerusalem in the Six-Day War, which began 50 years ago on Monday, and later annexed it in a move never recognised by the international community.

Known to Jews as the Temple Mount, the mosque compound is one of the most sensitive flashpoints of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and is the scene of frequent disturbances.

Israel claims Jerusalem as its united capital, while the Palestinians claim the city's eastern sector as the capital of their future state.