Israeli occupation forces have reinforced their presence in the occupied city of Jerusalem and its environs in preparation for Friday prayers at the Al Aqsa Mosque following an announcement allowing worshipers to enter the mosque grounds.

This comes following weeks of tense clashes between Palestinians and the occupation forces against the backdrop of installing electronic gates on the mosque compound.

The director of the Al Aqsa Mosque, Sheikh Omar al-Kiswani, said that the Al Aqsa Mosque, according to information relayed to the Islamic Waqf in Jerusalem by Israeli authorities, "will be open for all worshipers to enter without age specifications or other restrictions thus far."

He explained that the occupation authorities "intensified the presence of heavily armed soldiers on the gates of the Al-Aqsa Mosque," referring to the spread of several Israeli military checkpoints at the entrances to Jerusalem.

Source: Wam