Israel Closes Al-Aqsa Mosque, Blocks Ramadan Prayers, Reinforces Military Presence in Occupied Jerusalem

Israeli forces closed and heavily secured access to the Al-Aqsa compound and Jerusalem’s Old City, preventing worshippers from reaching the mosque and sealing off daily life in the area.

“On Tuesday, the Palestinian Ministry of Endowments and Religious Affairs warned of an Israeli attempt to impose a "new religious reality" in the Al-Aqsa Mosque, pointing to a "serious escalation" in the violations the mosque suffered during last February”

Al-Jazeera Net

The Palestinian Information Center reported that Israeli forces bolstered their presence around Al-Aqsa Mosque and the gates of Jerusalem’s Old City, turning the area into a heavily secured zone and preventing worshippers from reaching the mosque’s gates.

Al-Jazeera Net

The same report said several people were reportedly assaulted.

Al-Jazeera Net noted the Palestinian Ministry described an Israeli 'escalation' and documented repeated violations at holy sites.

Local reporting said checkpoints were closed and the Old City was effectively sealed off, bringing daily life and commerce to a standstill.

Closures and access restrictions intensified during Ramadan, with worshippers removed inside the compound and mosque staff sidelined.

Al-Jazeera Net reported the ministry accused Israeli police of 'protecting the stormers while restricting Muslim worshippers, removing hundreds from the mosque, detaining people entering Jerusalem’s Old City, and conducting raids around the Qibli prayer area and the Dome of the Rock during Friday services.'

www.saba.ye

Sana reported 'several people were reportedly assaulted.'

Local coverage said Israeli authorities were 'removing worshippers, allowing only the imam to lead prayers, restricting mosque staff and guards, and sidelining the Jordanian Waqf.'

Palestinian authorities and religious leaders described Israel’s actions as a deliberate campaign to change the status and character of Al-Aqsa, and they warned of wider consequences if the international community does not respond.

“Al-Azhar Observatory warns of sharp decline in Al-Aqsa worshippers The Al-Azhar Observatory for Combating Extremism has warned of a sharp decline in Muslim worshippers at Al-Aqsa Mosque, saying attendance has fallen by nearly half over the past 17 years, while the number of Israeli settlers entering the compound has increased elevenfold”

بوابة الأهرام

Al-Jazeera Net quoted the ministry saying the measures are 'part of a systematic policy to impose temporal and spatial division of Al-Aqsa and to change its Islamic character,' and warned of danger if the international community remains silent.

Sana reported the Palestinian Scholars Association called the closures 'a serious religious and humanitarian crime,' urging Arab and Islamic states to intervene, while local voices called the steps 'a dangerous escalation aimed at imposing occupation sovereignty.'

The closures and checkpoint shutdowns have immediate economic effects and broader societal impacts across Jerusalem and the West Bank.

Local reporting said checkpoints and closures have continued for multiple days, 'bringing daily life and commerce to a standstill'.

Al-Jazeera Net

Reports warned the city's economy was 'suffering an unprecedented downturn'.

They said merchants who depend on Ramadan income are facing major losses as West Bank Palestinians are barred from entering and commercial activity stagnates.

Al-Jazeera Net reported that Israeli authorities confirmed Al-Aqsa had been closed for consecutive days under a declared state of emergency tied to regional operations.

Religious figures and academics warned the measures threaten freedom of worship and Jerusalem’s long-standing status quo.

“On Tuesday, the Palestinian Ministry of Endowments and Religious Affairs warned of an Israeli attempt to impose a "new religious reality" in the Al-Aqsa Mosque, pointing to a "serious escalation" in the violations the mosque suffered during last February”

Al-Jazeera Net

Sana reported an academic on Jerusalem affairs warned that expanding time-based restrictions at Al-Aqsa during religious seasons is a gradual attempt to change the site’s long-standing status quo, while Sheikh Ekrima Sabri condemned the mosque’s closure as unjustified and said it threatens freedom of worship and the historic status quo.

www.saba.ye

Al-Jazeera Net and the Palestinian ministry underscored the risk of altering the compound’s Islamic character and called on the international community to act.