For the tenth day... the occupation closes Al-Aqsa and besieges the Old City in Jerusalem

For the tenth consecutive day, Israeli occupation authorities have closed the Al-Aqsa Mosque and prevented worshipers from reaching it.

“For the tenth consecutive day, the Israeli occupation authorities continue to close the Al-Aqsa Mosque and prevent worshipers from reaching it, citing the state of emergency the country is experiencing following the Israeli-American attack on Iran that has been ongoing since Saturday, February 28”

Al-Jazeera Net

They cite the state of emergency the country says it is experiencing following the Israeli-American attack on Iran that has been ongoing since Saturday, February 28.

Al-Jazeera Net

The authorities have also closed Jerusalem's Old City to non-residents, tightening restrictions at its gates and barring many people and merchants from entering.

Police and army forces are stationed at the Old City gates and allow only residents and a small number of merchants to pass.

The Islamic-Christian Commission to Support Jerusalem and the Holy Sites called the closure an "unprecedented escalation."

It said the closure disrupts religious rites during Ramadan.

Al-Jazeera Net

It said the closure prevents tens of thousands of worshipers from reaching the mosque and directly affects the sanctity and religious status of Al-Aqsa.

The commission rejected Israeli claims that the closures are for "security reasons," saying those justifications have been repeatedly used to justify violations against Islamic holy sites.

It also said the closures coincided with a series of expulsion orders against Al-Aqsa guards and those who remain stationed there.

The commission said the closure aims to undermine the powers of the Islamic Waqf, affect the Hashemite custodianship over the Noble Sanctuary, and erode the status quo at Islamic and Christian holy sites.

“For the tenth consecutive day, the Israeli occupation authorities continue to close the Al-Aqsa Mosque and prevent worshipers from reaching it, citing the state of emergency the country is experiencing following the Israeli-American attack on Iran that has been ongoing since Saturday, February 28”

Al-Jazeera Net

The Jerusalem Affairs Department of the Palestine Liberation Organization warned of a "dangerous escalation" driven by extremist settler groups that are promoting the imposition of a so-called "Passover sacrifice" inside Al-Aqsa courtyards.

The department said incitement campaigns by extremist "Temple" groups, including propaganda and simulated images of rituals inside Al-Aqsa, reflect a rise in religious extremism rhetoric seeking to impose new facts on the ground in occupied Jerusalem.

Merchants in the Old City are suffering economic losses because police and army restrictions mean many cannot reach their shops.

Authorities only allow shops specializing in foodstuffs to open.

Al-Jazeera Net

Jerusalemite merchant Riyad Adais told Al Jazeera Net his spice shop in the Khan al-Zeit market is permitted to open but has no customers.

"We open our shops but we do not sell," he said.

He stressed that merchants are drowning in debt from taxes and rents and many have closed.

The article notes Old City markets depend primarily on visitors to Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, and with both sites closed the markets are empty and most shops are shut.