Thousands Gather at Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa for First Friday Prayers of Ramadan

Muslim women pray during the first Friday prayer of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, in front of the Dome of the Rock, on the compound known to Muslims as the Noble Sanctuary and to Jews as the Temple Mount, in Jerusalem's Old City, April 8, 2022.(Reuters)

Tens of thousands of Muslims flocked to Jerusalem's Al-Aqsa Mosque on the first Friday of Ramadan for noon prayers, which passed peacefully despite concerns about a repeat of Israeli-Palestinian violence that erupted during the Muslim holy month last year.

From early morning, residents of cities such as Bethlehem and Ramallah in the occupied West Bank lined up at Israeli checkpoints to visit Al-Aqsa.