Members of the Israeli security forces stand guard as Muslim worshippers wait at a checkpoint near Lion's Gate to enter the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound for the Friday Noon prayer in Jerusalem on January 5, 2024, amid the ongoing battles between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas. (Photo by Ahmad GHARABLI / AFP)
Jerusalem, March 27, 2026 (WAFA) – Israeli occupation authorities prevented the holding of Friday prayers at Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied Jerusalem, which they have completely closed since February 28, under the pretext of a state of emergency due to the Israeli-American war on Iran.
The occupation police continued to close the gates of Al-Aqsa Mosque, as its members were deployed at the gates of the Old City in Jerusalem, preventing worshippers from reaching it .
Since the closure of Al-Aqsa, prayers there have been limited to the mosque’s guards and employees of the Islamic Waqf Department in Jerusalem, while the occupation has closed the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, which is one of the most important religious sites for Christians around the world .
Eyewitnesses said that the occupation police prevented Palestinians from performing prayers in streets near the walls of the Old City of Jerusalem, including Salah al-Din Street .
Two days ago, the occupation government decided to extend the state of emergency until mid-April, without it being clear whether the mosque would remain closed until then .
The occupation prevented the holding of Eid al-Fitr prayers there this year, for the first time since the occupation of the eastern part of the city in 1967 .
Despite condemnations issued by Arab and Islamic countries, the Israeli occupation authorities continue to refuse to reopen the mosque to worshippers.
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R.H.
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