Some 80,000 Muslim worshippers gathered for Friday prayers at the al-Aqsa Mosque compound in Jerusalem during the third week of Ramadan, according to the Islamic Trust, which oversees the site. The prayers took place amid rising tensions after Israel returned to war and resumed its military offensive in the Gaza Strip, which threatens to be even deadlier and more destructive than the last. Worshippers said the impact of the war in Gaza is being deeply felt in Jerusalem. "It used to be full of people from all over the area, by God's grace. May God return it to how it was before, and may God stop the war in Gaza so the situation can return to the way it used to be," said Muhamed Abu Rmileh, worshipper from Jerusalem. "The return of the war in Gaza makes you feel pain and sadness," said Moath Salah, another worshipper who came from Nablus, in the occupied West Bank. Since the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war in October 2023, the Israeli government blocked Palestinians in the West Bank from crossing to Jerusalem or visiting Israel. During previous Fridays in Ramadan, Israel only allowed men over 55 and women over 50 to enter from the occupied territory for the prayers. The Old City is located in east Jerusalem, which Israel captured in the 1967 Mideast war and annexed to its capital in a move not recognized internationally. AP Photo/Mahmoud Illean