Palestinians mark first Friday of holy month amid tensions

Alimited number of older Palestinians were allowed into Jerusalem on the first Friday of Ramadan, the holy month, in a wary climate stirred by a standoff over the Gaza ceasefire and an extended Israeli military campaign in the West Bank.

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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed on Thursday that older Muslim worshippers from the Israeli-occupied West Bank, including men over the age of 55 and women over the age of 50, as well as children under 12 would be allowed to enter the Al Aqsa mosque for Friday prayers.

The mosque, on a site in Jerusalem's Old City that Jews call the Temple Mount and revere as the site of two ancient temples, is a holy place for both religions and has long been a focus for clashes that have at times spiralled into wider conflict.

The Palestinian Authority, which exercises limited governance in the West Bank, said any restrictions on worshippers attending the mosque were in violation of Israel's responsibilities as an occupying power.

The second Ramadan since the start of the war in Gaza came during a fragile truce that hangs in the balance, with Israel and Hamas far apart on whether to continue talks that could lead to an end to the conflict.