Palestinian children visit Jerusalem for first time
JERUSALEM: Dozens of Palestinian children from the Gaza Strip saw Jerusalem and two of its holy sites for the first time yesterday as part of a United Nations-run exchange programme.
Ninety-one children aged between 8 and 14 crossed from the blockaded Palestinian enclave into Israel before visiting Jerusalem, according to the United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees UNRWA (United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East).
All but seven had never been out of Gaza, said UNRWA’s Scott Anderson.
The children visited the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, built at the site where Christians believe Jesus was crucified and buried, and the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound nearby, he said.
The children prayed and took pictures at the mosque compound, which also included the golden-topped Dome of the Rock.
The compound is the thirdholiest in Islam and the most sacred for Jews, who refer to it as the Temple Mount.
“They were over-the-moon excited,” Anderson said. “There’s really no other way to describe it.” AFP