Occupied Jerusalem: Al-Aqsa mosque compound - the third-holiest site in Islam after Mecca and Medina in Saudi Arabia - reopened on Sunday after being closed for more than two months because of the coronavirus pandemic.
An AFP journalist said worshippers in protective masks were allowed to enter the compound in the early hours, ahead of the first prayers of the day.
Singing "God is greatest, we will protect Al-Aqsa with our soul and blood", the group was welcomed by the mosque's director Omar al-Kiswani, who thanked them for their patience.
The compound, located in Occupied east Jerusalem, closed its doors in March as part of measures to limit the spread of the deadly new disease. It houses the Al-Aqsa mosque and the Dome of the Rock, both of which were opened Sunday.
