Israel Keeps Al-Aqsa Closed 14th Day, Denies Worshippers Last Friday Ramadan Prayers

Israeli authorities have kept the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound closed to Muslim worshippers for nearly two weeks during Ramadan, with coverage citing either a 12-day or a 14-day full closure period.

“The statement added that the entire area of Al-Aqsa Mosque was “exclusively” for Muslims and that the Jerusalem Endowments and Al-Aqsa Mosque Affairs department, affiliated with the Jordanian Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs, is the “legal entity with exclusive jurisdiction””

Al Jazeera

Al Jazeera, National Herald, Madhyamam and Samaa report the site was closed for 12 consecutive days, while the Palestinian news agency WAFA said the site was under a “full closure of the holy site for the 14th consecutive day.”

Al Jazeera

The continued closure has involved heavy deployments and access restrictions in the Old City of Jerusalem that have prevented normal congregational worship throughout Ramadan.

Israel has justified the closure as a security measure tied to the ongoing war with Iran and declared a state of emergency, while Palestinian and regional authorities reject that justification as illegitimate.

Multiple outlets report Israeli authorities cited “security” reasons linked to the conflict with Iran; WAFA and Al Jazeera both note the closure is being enforced under a state of emergency during the war on Iran.

Al-Jazeera Net

Palestinian officials and the eight foreign ministers who issued the joint protest called the measures illegal and a violation of Palestinian rights and international law.

A coalition of eight Muslim-majority states publicly condemned the closure and described Israel’s actions as violations of international law and the historical status quo.

“Disputes over access to the site have repeatedly triggered protests and broader tensions in Jerusalem and across the region”

Arab News

Al Jazeera, National Herald, Arab News, Pajhwok and Madhyamam all cite the joint statement by foreign ministers of Qatar, Jordan, Indonesia, Turkiye, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and the UAE calling the restrictions a “flagrant violation” of international law and rejecting the measures as "illegal and unjustified."

The ministers urged Israel, as the occupying power, to reopen gates, lift Old City restrictions and stop obstructing worshippers.

On the ground Palestinians were blocked from performing key Ramadan rites: congregational Friday prayers, Taraweeh, and itikaf were prevented inside Al-Aqsa and many worshippers prayed at nearby gates and streets instead.

WAFA reports hundreds performed Friday prayer at Bab Al-Sahira, Bab Al-Amud and Mohammad Al-Fateh Mosque while Israeli forces deployed heavily and placed metal barriers to stop access.

Firstpost

Arabic and regional outlets documented Palestinians being dispersed when they tried to pray at the gates, and multiple sources describe a rare absence of late-night Ramadan prayers at Al-Aqsa for the first time since 1967.

Activists, clerics and the ministers who issued the joint statement framed the closure as an attempt to alter the legal and historical status of the Haram al-Sharif/Al-Aqsa complex and called for international intervention.

“Amid the rising tensions in West Asia, eight Arab nations have condemned Israel’s continued closure of the Al-Aqsa Mosque during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan”

Firstpost

Al Jazeera and Madhyamam reproduce the ministers’ assertion that Al-Aqsa is “exclusively” for Muslims and under the legal custodianship of Jordan’s Jerusalem Endowments, and the ministers urged the international community to compel Israel to stop what they described as “ongoing violations.”

Madhyamam

Regional outlets and social media activists warned the closure could become a precedent and some described it as a form of ‘soft’ warfare meant to normalise a changed reality at the sanctuary.