Gazans head to Jerusalem for Eid al-Adha prayers
Following easing of travel restrictions, Palestinians from Gaza aged 60 and over make way to Jerusalem to attend prayer at al-Aqsa mosque on occasion of Muslim holiday.
Some 500 Palestinians aged 60 and over made their way from the Gaza Strip to Jerusalem to pray at the city's al-Aqsa mosque on the occasion of the Eid al-Adha feast, as part of the understandings reached last week between Israel and the Palestinian government following Operation Protective Edge. The Palestinian worshipers will return to Gaza later Sunday.
As was first reported by Ynet, the travel restrictions were first approved at a meeting between an Israeli official and Palestinian Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah. A similar number of Gaza residents will be permitted to enter Jerusalem on Monday and Tuesday.
The worshipers travelled through the Erez Crossing in the early morning hours. The Israeli military said that from October 5 through 7, the days of the Muslim feast, 500 Palestinians from Gaza aged 60 and over would be permitted to pray at the al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem, and 500 could visit close relatives in the West Bank.
The measures seen as Israel's most sweeping easing of restrictions on Palestinian movement since 2007 were announced as Washington issued statements condemning Israeli settlement expansion plans in Jerusalem, after President Barack Obama's White House talks with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Palestinians living in the West Bank would be allowed unlimited travel to Israel for sightseeing and family visits over the holiday as well, the Israeli statement said.
Gaza would also be permitted to export agricultural produce to the West Bank, Israel said. Palestinian official Nazmi Mhana said it would be the first time since the start of the Israeli blockade on the Strip in 2007 that Gaza could sell its fish and vegetables in the West Bank.
Palestinians view the Israeli steps as meeting its obligations under an August 26 ceasefire ending a 50-day Gaza war to ease a blockade of the coastal territory. The IDF said the moves were part of a policy intended to "improve the fabric of life for Palestinian society."
Reuters contributed to this report.
