Israel-Palestine live: Unicef says over 13,000 children killed in Gaza

The director of Al-Aqsa Mosque, Omar Kiswani, told Al Jazeera that it is “the absolute right of all Muslims to enter Al-Aqsa Mosque,” regardless of where they live.

“There shouldn’t be any permits required to enter the mosque and this is something the occupation needs to understand,” he said, referring to Israel.

German chancellor Olaf Scholz said he will make his second trip to the Middle East since the eruption of Israel's war on Gaza over the weekend.

Scholz will land in Jordan on Saturday, where he will meet with King Abdullah II, and then will then meet Israeli Prime Minster Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday.

Germany has been one of Israel's staunchest backers in this war, but spokesperson Steffen Hebestreit said Scholz will focus on trying to get more aid into Gaza and warn Israel against a potential invasion of Rafah.

The German air force will participate in airdrops of aid into Gaza, though the country does not see it as the best option to send aid into the enclave.

Quoting the Department of Islamic Waqf, Palestine's Quds News Network says that over 80,000 worshippers have performed their Friday prayers at Al-Aqsa Mosque despite Israeli restrictions.

Gaza's health ministry said the Palestinian death toll of Israel's war on Gaza has risen to 31,490, with 73,439 wounded.

Quoting several sources, Reuters reports that Esmail Qaani, the head of Iran's Quds Force, visited Beirut in February and met with Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah for at least the third time since the start of Israel's war on Gaza.

One of the focal points of the meeting was the scenario of a full-scale Israeli war against Hezbollah in Lebanon, beyond the border skirmishes that have taken place on a near-daily basis since 8 October.

All seven sources, which Reuters says include "Iranians within the inner circle of power," said that Nasrallah reassured Qaani he did not want Iran sucked into any confrontation with Israel or the US should a wider conflict erupt.

"This is our fight," he said, according to one source.

Thousands of West Bank Palestinians were blocked from reaching Jerusalem's Al-Aqsa Mosque on the first Friday of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

While Israel initially said elders would be allowed to cross, some speaking to Middle East Eye were also denied entry. Many were sent away under the pretext of not having "prayer permits".

“They told me, ‘go back,’" one man said after being turned away in Bethlehem. "I am 90 years old, what is your problem with me?”

The man, filled with sadness, said he would make another attempt to be allowed in.

Hanan, a 50-year-old woman told MEE she left her village of Arab al-Rashayda, a roughly 80km drive to Bethlehem, right after finishing suhoor, the meal Muslims consume before fasting starts at dawn. She was also told she needed a permit.

“We used to enter normally, this year they have tightened [their restrictions]," she said.

Many remain determined to go, despite Israeli restrictions.

"We need to get to Al-Aqsa," said an old man waiting in line in his wheelchair. "Even if I must die, even if it were the last day of my life, I must reach Al-Aqsa, God permitting."

Reporting by Mosab Shawer in Bethlehem, occupied Palestine.

The Palestinian foreign ministry condemned "in the strongest terms" the move by Israeli forces to prevent thousands of worshippers from the occupied West Bank and Jerusalem from reaching Al-Aqsa Mosque on the first Friday of the month of Ramadan.

The ministry accused Israel of militarising Jerusalem after "hundreds" of iron barriers were set up in the city and thousands of Israeli officers were deployed.

Israeli security forces blocked medical teams from entering Al-Aqsa mosque on the first Friday of Ramadan, and reportedly attacked some of the paramedics.

Hundreds of Palestinians were also reportedly barred from reaching the area under the pretext of not obtaining the required permits.

Al Jazeera's correspondent in Jerusalem says Palestinians coming from the West Bank were either delayed for long periods or turned away as they tried to reach Al-Aqsa mosque on the first Friday of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

Age restrictions are also put in place for West Bank travellers, while Palestinians in Israel and occupied East Jerusalem should, in theory, access the area without hurdles.

Several checkpoints were put in place on the way to the mosque.

Hamas presented its ceasefire proposal to mediators.

The document, seen by Reuters, would have Israeli women, children, elderly and sick hostages released in a first stage in exchange for 700-1000 Palestinian prisoners.

It would include 100 Palestinian prisoners serving life sentences and on the Israeli side would include "female recruits" in the Israeli army.

A date on the complete withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza, as well as a permanent ceasefire, would be agreed upon after the first stage.

Hamas says all detainees from both sides should be released in the second stage.

The death toll from last night's Israeli attack on aid seekers in Gaza City's Kuwait Roundabout has risen to 25, with over 122 wounded.

Good morning Middle East Eye readers,

Here are the latest updates:

• The Israeli army denied opening fire on aid seekers in Gaza City last night, while the Gaza health ministry said the army killed "dozens."
• Australia announced it would resume funding for Unrwa, the UN's Palestinian refugee agency
• The White House welcome the Palestinian Authority's new prime minister and called on him to implement reforms
• Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu called Hamas's ceasefire demands "unrealistic"
• US senator Chuck Schumer, the country's highest-ranking Jewish politician, said Netanyahu was a "major obstacle" to peace and called for new elections in Israel
• The US finalised a draft UN Security Council resolution calling for a temporary truce in Gaza

Hello MEE readers.

On Thursday, Gaza saw yet another Israeli massacre of Palestinians awaiting aid distribution in the northern part of the enclave. The Palestinian health ministry has reported that at least 21 dead bodies have arrived at two hospitals in the north, and the ministry is working to recover additional people who were killed.

The incident occurred at the Kuwait roundabout in Gaza City, where thousands of Palestinians were waiting for food aid, according to local reports. Then, an Israeli helicopter fired on the crowd.

It is the latest incident where Israeli forces have fired upon aid-seeking crowds of Palestinians in just the past few weeks. It also comes days after Israel bombed a food distribution centre in Rafah, killing several including a Unrwa staff member.

Here is what else you need to know from today's developments:

• Hamas said it presented to mediators a comprehensive vision of a truce deal that is based on stopping the Israeli "aggression" against Palestinians in Gaza, providing relief and aid, the return of displaced Gazans to their houses, and the withdrawal of Israeli forces. Israel said the presentation contained "unfounded demands".

• The Houthis announced they will expand their operations to prevent Israel-linked ships from passing through the Indian Ocean towards the Cape of Good Hope, in addition to the Red Sea.

• A coalition of Chicago-based Muslim and Palestinian groups released a letter announcing it rejected an offer to meet with White House officials over inaction over Washington's stance on Israel’s war on Gaza.

• Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud Abbas has appointed Muhammad Mustafa to form the new government.

• A group of pro-Palestinian activists disrupted the distribution centre for The New York Times in Queens, New York, blocking off all entrances to the centre. Then, activists flooded the lobby of the Times, shouting for people to unsubscribe from the newspaper. The activists are protesting the newspaper's coverage of the war, which they say is biased towards Israel.

• The Biden administration announced new US sanctions against three additional Israeli settlers, and two settlements, in the occupied West Bank.

The Palestinian health ministry is reporting now that 20 dead bodies have arrived at al-Shifa Hospital, while 155 wounded have also arrived.

The ministry's death toll from the latest massacre at the Kuwait roundabout in Gaza City currently stands at 21, with the number expected to rise further.

The Palestinian health ministry is reporting that its death toll from the latest Israeli massacre of aid-seekers in northern Gaza is at least 14, with 11 dead bodies having arrived at al-Shifa Hospital.

The health ministry said it is working to retrieve dead bodies from the site. An initial report from Al Jazeera Arabic put the death toll in the dozens.