Al-Aqsa Mosque Closed for Evening Prayers

Israeli occupation forces prevented worshippers from performing the Isha and Taraweeh prayers at the Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied Jerusalem on Saturday night. The ban was imposed under the pretext of the emergency measures announced following recent United States–Israeli strikes on Iran.

According to sources from the Islamic Waqf Department, speaking to Al Jazeera, only a handful of officials—including the mosque’s Imam, Sheikh Yusuf Abu Asnaina, the Waqf director Sheikh Omar al-Qiswani, and a few staff members—were permitted to lead the Isha prayer. Ordinary worshippers were completely barred from entering the mosque.

The Jerusalem Governorate reported that since the beginning of the current Ramadan, attendance for Taraweeh prayers had ranged from 35,000 to 100,000 worshippers. However, on Saturday, the declaration of emergency led to a complete suspension of all prayers, including Isha and Taraweeh.

Israeli Channel 12 stated that, citing security concerns, the Home Front Command had issued instructions to keep Al-Aqsa Mosque closed throughout Ramadan. Following the emergency declaration, the Home Front Command limited nationwide operations to essential activities, suspended educational programmes, banned public gatherings, and restricted commuting to workplaces outside critical sectors.

Although the mosque is administered by the Waqf Department under Jordanian oversight, these directives were enforced within Al-Aqsa. Before the call to Friday prayers, numerous Jerusalem residents and Palestinians from inside the city were removed from the mosque’s precincts. Even Waqf staff were ordered to leave, with only Al-Aqsa’s guards permitted to remain. Subsequently, the gates were closed under the orders of the occupying police.

This marked the 11th day of Ramadan, and the sight of an empty Al-Aqsa evoked memories of the 2020 Ramadan lockdown, when the mosque was closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Jerusalem researcher Ziad Ihhais wrote on social media that closing Al-Aqsa during Ramadan represents an ultimate step towards unilateral control and a de facto assertion of Israeli sovereignty over the mosque. He urged that the measure should not be passively accepted and called for all possible forms of opposition.

Al-Aqsa Mosque is considered the first Qibla for Muslims and the third holiest site in Islam. The sudden suspension of prayers during Ramadan—a period typically marked by heavy worshipper turnout—has sparked renewed concern and unease among the Palestinian community.