Hundreds of Palestinians demonstrated on Friday in the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip against the Israeli government`s attempts to empty the holy city of Jerusalem of its Palestinian citizens.

The Palestinians want east Jerusalem, occupied by Israel in 1967, as the capital of their future Palestinian state, while Israel considers the whole city as the eternal capital of its Jewish state.

The demonstrators waved Palestinian flags and chanted slogans against what they said "Judaizing the city. The demonstrations were carried out to mark the international day to support Jerusalem.

The demonstrators were members of various national and Islamic Palestinian factions. They also carried shapes of al-Aqsa Mosque, the Muslims holy first shrine and the third mosque.

Rabah Muhana, the leader of the Popular Front to Liberate Palestine (PFLP) told the demonstrators that the liberation of Jerusalem and the Palestinian territories "must be made by all types of resistance."

"Jerusalem can never be gained back by the absurd negotiations and not by condemnation and denouncement. The so- called peace talks with the occupation must stop because it harmed our cause," said Muhana.

Meanwhile, tens of thousands of Palestinians prayed the last Friday of the holy month of Ramadan in al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem amid intensive Israeli security measures.

Around 400,000 prayers were on Friday in the old city of Jerusalem, where the Israeli police had only given permission to prayers who are over 40 years to enter into the area of the holy mosque.

Source: ANTARA