DaysofPal – Dozens of Palestinians performed the Isha and Tarawih prayers near the closest point they could reach to the Al-Aqsa Mosque, after Israeli occupation forces continued to block access to the compound for worshippers and those seeking to observe spiritual retreat during the final days of Ramadan.
Local sources in Jerusalem said dozens gathered near Herod’s Gate in occupied Jerusalem to perform the prayers outdoors after being prevented from entering the mosque and praying inside its courtyards.
Israeli authorities have kept the mosque closed for the twelfth consecutive day. Officials have justified the measure by citing security concerns linked to the ongoing regional conflict involving Iran.
The closure relies on what Israeli authorities describe as a state of emergency connected to the Israeli-American military campaign against Iran that began on February 28. The decision has barred Jerusalem residents and Palestinians from performing religious rituals at Al-Aqsa during some of the most sacred days of Ramadan.
This measure is an unprecedented step since Israel occupied East Jerusalem in 1967. For the first time, worshippers have been prevented from performing Tarawih prayers and observing iʿtikaf during the final ten days of Ramadan inside the mosque compound.
Restrictions around the holy site had already intensified earlier in the month of Ramadan, before the outbreak of the war with Iran. Israeli occupation forces imposed tighter controls on Palestinians from the occupied West Bank and prevented many from reaching Jerusalem to pray at the mosque.
The Jerusalem Governorate condemned the closure, saying it was part of a systematic plan to impose direct Israeli control over the administration of the mosque. Officials said the policy sidelines the Islamic Waqf Department in Jerusalem and blocks worshippers from accessing the compound during the most sacred period of the year.
Omar al-Rajoub, director of the governorate’s media department, said the decision aims to consolidate Israeli influence over Al-Aqsa and prepare the ground for policies that alter the site’s religious and historical status. He described the measures as a clear violation of religious rights and longstanding historical arrangements governing the compound.
Rajoub added that local authorities view the closure and strict entry restrictions during Ramadan, particularly in the final ten days when religious gatherings usually reach their peak, as carrying broader political and strategic messages.
He said the measures appear designed to impose Israeli sovereignty over the mosque, reduce Palestinian presence, and pave the way for future policies that could reshape the character of the holy site.
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