JERUSALEM, (WAFA) Is-raaeli forces forcibly cleared worshippers from Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied Jerusalem following Friday’s dawn prayers and sealed off its gates, marking a rare and alarming escalation in Is-raaeli restrictions on Muslim religious access. The unprecedented move came amid a sweeping military closure imposed across the West Bank, just hours after Israael launched a major military operation against Iran.
According to local sources, Is-raaeli police stormed the mosque compound at dawn, ordering worshippers to evacuate and denying them the right to remain within the premises. The gates of the mosque were subsequently locked shut. This marks the first such complete closure of Al-Aqsa Mosque by Is-raaeli authorities since the COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns, underscoring growing tensions in the region.
The closure of the revered Islamic site coincided with the Is-raaeli army’s declaration of a comprehensive lockdown across the occupied West Bank. Military checkpoints and gates were sealed off, and dirt mounds were used to block secondary roads connecting towns, cities, and villages, further restricting Pa_lestinian movement and isolating communities across the territory.
The Pa_lestinian Ministry of Awqaf and Religious Affairs issued a strongly worded condemnation of the Is-raaeli measures, describing the closure of both Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem and the Ibrahimi Mosque in Hebron as a blatant assault on religious freedom. The Ministry accused Is-raaeli forces of targeting two of the most sacred Islamic sites in Pa_lestine and reiterated its commitment to defending and safeguarding these holy places.
“This reprehensible act represents a serious violation of religious sanctities and an unacceptable provocation to Muslim worshippers,” the Ministry said in a statement. It also called on international institutions and the wider global community to intervene urgently to end Is-raaeli aggression against Palestinian places of worship and uphold the right to religious freedom under international law.
Pa_lestinians view the repeated Israeli incursions into Al-Aqsa Mosque and restrictions on access as part of a broader policy of Judaization of Jerusalem and erasure of the city’s Islamic and Palestinian identity. The latest events add to long-standing grievances over Is-raaeli occupation practices, settlement expansion, and systematic restrictions on Pa_lestinian rights across the Westtt Bank and Easttt Jerusalem.
The full lockdown and mosque closures have heightened fears of further escalation, especially given the regional backdrop of Isr@ael’s military actions against Ir_an and rising unrest across the occupied territories.
