Dozens of Arab children from the Gaza Strip saw Jerusalem and its holy sites for the first time on
Sunday as part of a UN-run exchange program.

Ninety-one children aged between 8 and 14 crossed from the Hamas-run enclave into Israel before visiting Jerusalem, according to the United Nations agency for Palestine refugees, UNRWA.

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 on the Temple Mount nearby, he said.

Both sites are in Jerusalem's Old City.

The children prayed and took pictures at the Temple Mount, an AFP journalist reported.

"They were over-the-moon excited," Anderson said. "There's really no other way to describe it."

The children later traveled to Ramallah and will remain in Judea and Samaria until Friday.

They will visit various PA cities throughout the week.

The Gaza Strip, run by Islamist terrorist movement Hamas, has been under a partial Israeli security
blockade for a decade to prevent weapons smuggling. Hamas launched thousands of rockets at civilian targets in Israel, leading Israel to launch three IDF operations to put an end to the constant barrages. Despite this, thousands of trucks bring supplies from Israel into Gaza, and Gazans in need of medical care that only Israel provides are treated in Israel. The concrete Israel provided for rebuilding civilian structures was used to build attack tunnels into Israel.

Gaza's crossing with Egypt -- the only other country with which it shares a border -- has also remained largely closed in recent years. Egypt evicted Gazans from their homes and created a buffer zone along its border with the Strip and destroyed Gazan-built smuggling tunnels..