Al-Aqsa Mosque Reopens to Palestinian Worshippers After 40-Day Closure, Thousands Attend Morning Prayer

The Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in occupied East Jerusalem has reopened to Palestinian worshippers after a 40-day closure imposed by Israeli authorities. On Thursday morning, thousands of Palestinians gathered at the site for the morning prayer, with verified footage from Al Jazeera capturing the influx of worshippers streaming through its gates. Approximately 3,000 individuals attended the service, marking a significant return to normalcy following months of restrictions that had severely limited access to one of Islam's holiest sites. The Islamic Waqf Department, which oversees religious affairs in Jerusalem, confirmed the reopening would allow unrestricted entry from dawn, though no further details were provided by the Jordanian-affiliated authority responsible for managing the mosque.

The closure, which began on February 28, coincided with the outbreak of the US-Israeli war on Iran and was part of a broader pattern of restrictions imposed on religious sites in Jerusalem. Israeli officials had previously limited access to Al-Aqsa and other holy places, often restricting entry to a small number of worshippers or prohibiting it entirely. These measures disrupted major religious observances, including Lent, Passover, and Ramadan, and prevented the traditional Eid al-Fitr prayers at Al-Aqsa this year—the first such exclusion since Israel's occupation of East Jerusalem in 1967. Israeli police attributed the recent reopening to "updated instructions from the Israeli Home Front Command," emphasizing increased security measures ahead of Orthodox Christian Easter celebrations, which occur a week after Catholic and Protestant observances.

Security reinforcements have been a defining feature of the reopening. Hundreds of police officers and border guards were deployed in the Old City of Jerusalem and along roads leading to holy sites, with Israeli authorities stating the goal was to "secure visitors." The heightened presence has raised concerns among Palestinian residents, who have long criticized such measures as disproportionate and discriminatory. The restrictions had also extended beyond religious sites, with Israeli raids continuing across the occupied West Bank. On Thursday, Israeli forces detained a woman and assaulted a man during an early morning raid in Nablus, according to the Palestinian news agency Wafa. Separately, the Ramallah-based health ministry reported that Israeli troops fatally shot a 28-year-old Palestinian, Alaa Khaled Mohammed Sbeih, near Tayasir in the northern West Bank, though the Israeli military claimed an off-duty soldier fired at a stone-thrower.

The humanitarian toll of ongoing violence has been stark. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported that more than 1,100 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces and settlers in the West Bank since 2023, with at least 10,000 people forcibly displaced. Raids in villages like Tayasir and Ya'bad saw homes destroyed and residents detained, with Wafa documenting the arrest of six young men in Tayasir and the storming of homes in Qusra and Awarta. These actions have drawn condemnation from international bodies and human rights groups, who warn that the escalation risks further destabilizing the region.

The reopening of Al-Aqsa, while a temporary reprieve for worshippers, does not address the broader tensions surrounding access to holy sites or the persistent violence in the occupied territories. Experts note that such closures often coincide with political and military developments, raising questions about their long-term impact on religious freedoms and community trust. As Easter approaches, the contrast between the symbolic reopening of Al-Aqsa and the continued unrest in the West Bank underscores the complex interplay of faith, security, and occupation in Jerusalem.