Tensions rise as Ramadan prayers commence at Al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem.

Security forces were on high alert in Jerusalem for the first Friday of Ramadan, as mass afternoon prayers held at the Temple Mount passed peacefully. The Muslim holy month often sees elevated Israeli-Palestinian tensions, with frictions already high this year in Jerusalem and across the West Bank following months of deadly violence. According to official estimates, some 83,000 people took part in afternoon prayers at the Al-Aqsa Mosque, located atop the Temple Mount. Israeli security forces stand guard as Muslim worshippers head to the Temple Mount compound to attend the first Friday prayers of the holy month of Ramadan, in Jerusalem’s Old City, March 24, 2023.