DaysofPal- Iran and several Muslim communities around the world marked International Quds Day on Friday amid heightened regional tensions and ongoing conflicts in the Middle East.
The annual event, first called for in 1979 by Ruhollah Khomeini, is observed on the last Friday of Ramadan as a day of solidarity with Palestinians and a platform to highlight the Palestinian cause and the status of Jerusalem.
Large marches were held across several Iranian cities, including the capital Tehran, where thousands of people gathered carrying Iranian flags and portraits of the country’s Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei.
Demonstrators also chanted slogans condemning the ongoing conflict involving Iran and the Israeli occupation.
Senior Iranian officials participated in the events, including President Masoud Pezeshkian, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, and Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council Ali Larijani.
The commemorations come as Iran reports hundreds of casualties following the ongoing U.S. and Israeli war on the country.
The day also coincided with continued restrictions on access to the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in Jerusalem.
Israeli occupation has kept the site closed to most worshippers for 14 consecutive days, citing emergency security measures related to the conflict with Iran.
The closure has drawn criticism from Palestinian officials and religious figures, particularly because it coincides with the final Friday of Ramadan, a day traditionally marked by large congregational prayers at the site.
Jerusalem affairs researcher Abdullah Marouf said the final Friday of Ramadan, sometimes referred to as the “orphan Friday,” holds special religious significance and typically attracts tens of thousands of worshippers.
Marouf noted that despite numerous crises over the decades, Friday prayers at the compound had rarely been completely halted.
During heightened tensions in 2021, about 70,000 worshippers attended the final Friday prayers at the mosque, while around 120,000 people gathered there in 2024 despite the ongoing war in the Gaza Strip.
Observers say the empty courtyards of the compound this year reflect the unprecedented restrictions imposed during the ongoing regional escalation.
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