by Sinan Anu Mayzar and Bassam Masoud
JERUSALEM/RAFAH, Gaza Strip (Reuters) – Thousands of Israeli police deployed to Jerusalem’s Old City on Sunday in anticipation of an influx of Muslim worshipers during Ramadan, as the war continues in the Gaza Strip .
Thousands of Palestinians are expected to go every day to pray on the mosque plaza, a Muslim holy place also considered sacred by Jews who call it the Temple Mount.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has promised that the number of worshipers allowed will be similar to last year, despite calls from his far-right allies to sharply limit access.
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The Muslim fasting month is scheduled to begin Monday or Tuesday, depending on lunar observations.
Unlike in previous years, the decorations usually adorning the Old City of Jerusalem will not be in place this year “out of respect for the blood of our children, our elders and our martyrs,” said Ammar Sider, a Palestinian official.
More than 30,000 Palestinians were killed in the offensive launched by the IDF against Hamas in the Gaza Strip more than five months ago, after the Islamist movement’s attack in southern Israel. In the occupied West Bank, around 400 Palestinians have been killed in clashes with security forces or Jewish settlers since October 7.
Israeli police said they were working to ensure the peaceful conduct of Ramadan prayers and arrested 20 people for inciting terrorism.
Hopes for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip before the Muslim holy month, in exchange for the release of hostages held by Hamas – numbering 132 according to the Israeli government – have dwindled as Cairo talks between Hamas and Egyptian and Qatari mediators have stalled.
(With Nidal al Mughrabi, Jean-Stéphane Brosse for the French version)
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