Jerusalem resonated with the agony of affliction on a solemn Good Friday

The conflict in Gaza loomed heavily over Good Friday in Jerusalem, with fewer Christian pilgrims traversing the path through the walled Old City, believed to be the route Christ took to his crucifixion.

Security was stringent in the narrow alleyways where thousands of Palestinians, observing the Islamic fasting month of Ramadan, gathered for Friday prayers at the Al-Aqsa mosque compound, located in Israeli-annexed East Jerusalem.

Australian John Timmons, reflecting on the atmosphere, remarked, “It is deeply poignant to be here on Good Friday. There is a profound melancholy in the air, likely intensified by the events unfolding in Gaza.”

The solemn procession along the Via Dolorosa, or the “Way of Suffering,” commenced at the place where Christians believe Pontius Pilate sentenced Jesus to death, marking the beginning of his ordeal.

Meanwhile, less than 200 meters away at Al-Aqsa mosque, Islam’s third holiest site, worshippers were urged to contemplate the suffering of those enduring bombardment in Gaza.

“As we remember the people of Gaza in our prayers,” the imam intoned, invoking an Islamic prayer for the deceased.

Italian Catholic Mario Tioti, 64, attending the Way of the Cross reenactment as part of Holy Week celebrations in Atyra, Paraguay, expressed how the sanctity of Jerusalem transcends the conflicts and politics of the region. “It is a place of great significance. One can sense the presence of God and Christ here. He walked these streets.”

While Roman Catholics and Protestants observed Holy Week, the Orthodox churches would commemorate Good Friday on May 3.

Walking barefoot over the ancient paving stones in robes, American James Joseph, a long-term resident of Jerusalem known as the “Jesus Guy,” likened the situation in Gaza to the biblical “slaughter of the innocents,” where King Herod ordered the killing of thousands of infants in his rage.

He remarked, “The suffering endured by those innocent individuals in Gaza is tragic but not without purpose,” speaking to AFP at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, traditionally believed to be the site of Christ’s resurrection.

Joseph interpreted the Good Friday message as “God’s transformation of suffering into resurrection. It is a mystery… but he sacrificed himself to redeem us.”

For some Palestinians making their way to Al-Aqsa mosque, the journey resembled their own Via Dolorosa.

Linda Al-Khatib described how heavy Israeli security had turned what is typically a five-minute trip from her village just outside Jerusalem into a 45-minute ordeal of checks and barriers.

“I came to pray because today is very special, especially during Ramadan. But I am very saddened; there are few visitors and few people. I was afraid the entire way,” she shared.

An Indian-born nun, residing in Bethlehem for the past 13 years, told AFP that Easter had never felt so “tense” or challenging to enter East Jerusalem from the occupied West Bank.

However, for some, the absence of tourists due to the conflict was a blessing.

“The last time I came, there were throngs of people trying to enter (Christ’s) tomb. It was like Disneyland,” recounted Timothy Curtiss from Texas.

“This year, you can walk right in.