Friday prayer will start in just a few hours and, as every weekend since the start of the conflict, thousands of Palestinians will be prevented from entering the Al-Aqsa mosque, Al Jazeera’s Sara Khairat says.

“Every week there is tear gas, and the reason why is that they are preventing the majority of worshippers from attending the holy prayer — they [Israeli forces] say to reduce clashes as it’s under a state of emergency,” Khairat said, reporting from occupied East Jerusalem.

Since October 7, there has been a dramatic drop in the number of worshipers allowed inside the holy compound: from up to 70,000 to as low as 4,000, Khairat said.

“This is part of the restriction on the movement of Palestinians, not just for Friday prayers, but for the entire old city,” she added.