Israeli occupation authorities prevented Palestinians from holding Friday prayer at the Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied Jerusalem, as the compound remains fully sealed for the fifth consecutive week. The closure, imposed on February 28, continues under the pretext of a “state of emergency” declared in connection with the ongoing Israeli–U.S. war on Iran.
Israeli police deployed heavily around the gates of the Old City and blocked all entrances leading to the mosque, stopping worshippers from reaching it.
Witnesses reported that police forces also prevented Palestinians from praying in streets near the Old City walls, including Salahuddin Street, ordering them to disperse.
Since the start of the closure, prayers inside Al-Aqsa have been restricted to mosque guards and employees of the Islamic Waqf Department in Jerusalem.
At the same time, the occupation authorities shut down the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, one of the most important Christian holy sites in the world.
Two days ago, the Israeli government extended the declared state of emergency until mid-April, without clarifying whether the mosque will remain closed throughout that period.
This year, the occupation also barred Palestinians from holding Eid al-Fitr prayer at Al-Aqsa, marking the first such ban since Israel occupied the eastern part of the city in 1967.
Despite condemnations issued by several Arab and Muslim countries, Israeli authorities continue to refuse to reopen the mosque to worshippers.
Jerusalemites describe the ongoing closure as part of a broader political and ideological effort to alter the religious, historical, and legal status quo at the holy site.
