Al-Aqsa mosque
Al-Aqsa mosqueצילום: Muammar Awad/Flash90

Tens of thousands of Muslims prayed Friday in the Al-Aqsa mosque and in the nearby plaza, under heavy Israeli security, in light of ongoing incitement in Palestinian media to attack Jerusalemites.

Ahead of the date when the mosque was torched decades ago, Sheikh Ismail Nawahada, who spoke during the Friday prayers, condemned statements made by Israeli officials regarding Jerusalem and the mosque, and claimed that such statements hurt the feelings of Arabs and Muslims and "desecrate the Al-Aqsa mosque and the holy city."

Nawahada added that these statements are likely to create religious conflict in the region and the world, and he called on Arab and Islamic countries to bear the responsibility of "freeing" the Al-Aqsa mosque from the "conquest," emphasizing that joint efforts or cooperation of Jews in the mosque in unacceptable.