Srinagar: Srinagar's Jamia Masjid has once again refrained from allowing Friday prayers, marking the third consecutive week it remains closed due to concerns of potential protests and violence linked to Israel's military operations in Gaza.

Security personnel continued to monitor the Nowhatta area of Srinagar while the mosque's doors remained locked for the third consecutive Friday. The managing body of the mosque, Anjuman Auqaf Jamia Masjid, issued a statement last Friday, October 20, announcing the suspension of Friday prayers and cited the police's closure of the mosque gates.

The Hurriyat Conference, led by Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, the chief priest of Kashmir, expressed its apprehensions over the continued closure of the historic Jamia Masjid and Mirwaiz Umar Farooq's house detention. This situation is regarded as a reminder of the "fragile normalcy in Jammu and Kashmir," according to a PTI report. Mirwaiz was released from a four-year house detention following the abrogation of Article 370 on August 5, 2019.

In a statement, the Hurriyat Conference conveyed its solidarity with the people of Palestine, emphasizing that despite bans and restrictions imposed on them, Kashmiris stand with Palestine.

The Hurriyat Conference also emphasized the futility of war as a means to achieve peace, noting that war results in destruction, fosters mistrust, insecurity, and cruelty. The statement pointed out that while thousands of children in Gaza have tragically lost their lives and homes and hospitals have been destroyed, the war on Palestinians, described as a blot on humanity, continues unabated. The Hurriyat Conference criticized those who claim to support human rights and freedoms for either endorsing the conflict or remaining silent.

The statement also noted that over 1,400 individuals in Gaza had lost their lives during Israel's unprecedented attacks. 

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