JERUSALEM (Ma’an) -- Thousands of Palestinians traveled from inside Israel and the occupied West Bank to the Al-Aqsa Mosque to perform the first Friday prayers during the holy month of Ramadan.

Crossings experienced a large volume of traffic, particularly at the Qalandiya checkpoint north of Jerusalem. Israeli forces deployed at crossings and checkpoints throughout Jerusalem and the West Bank.

The Al-Aqsa Foundation for Waqf and Heritage and other groups are implementing a campaign under the Ministry of Religious Affairs to protect the mosque during the Ramadan period.

The campaign includes providing two meals for people who are fasting in the daytime as well as hundreds of buses to carry people to the mosque and a religious education program.