Jerusalem between restrictions and emergency: 150 employees performed Friday prayers at Al-Aqsa Mosque, while the Church of the Holy Sepulcher remained closed and markets were empty
On an unusual Friday, the city of Jerusalem appeared silent and devoid of its usual features. The gates of Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Church of the Holy Sepulcher were closed to worshippers and pilgrims, and the streets of the Old City were empty of visitors. Shops and markets were closed, and the city was transformed into a military barracks with checkpoints at every gate, entrance, and corner.
Few worshippers were able to reach the thresholds of Al-Aqsa Mosque or the outskirts of the Old City, given the spread and strict restrictions. Meanwhile, movement was absent from the vicinity of the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, and the vendors who usually fill the streets around Al-Aqsa Mosque after every Friday prayer were absent.
Since the early hours of the morning, following the Iranian strike, air raid sirens sounded across the country, and the Home Front Command declared a state of emergency. Exceptional measures were imposed, including the cancellation of education, a ban on all forms of gatherings, and the closure of workplaces except for vital facilities.
Early this morning, occupation forces stormed Al-Aqsa Mosque, forcing worshippers out of the covered prayer areas and courtyards after the dawn prayer, and informed them of the closure decision.
Hours later, police prevented worshippers from entering for Friday prayers and forcibly removed them from the vicinity of Al-Aqsa.
Regarding the procedures at Al-Aqsa on Friday, Sheikh Omar Al-Kiswani stated that 150 worshippers, employees of the Islamic Endowments Department, performed Friday prayers at Al-Aqsa Mosque. He confirmed that religious rituals and the five daily prayers will be performed at Al-Aqsa Mosque as usual, with the attendance of Endowments employees.
Sheikh Al-Kiswani explained that shortly before the dawn prayer, the Islamic Endowment Department received a call from the police informing them of the declaration of a state of emergency. They informed us that worshippers would not be allowed to enter Al-Aqsa Mosque.
Despite this, approximately 1,000 worshippers were present in the courtyards for the dawn prayer before the mosque's gates were closed at 6:30 a.m.
Sheikh Al-Kiswani added, "Since the closure, only employees of the Islamic Endowment Department have been allowed to enter and exit through Al-Silsileh Gate and Lions Gate."
Worshippers who were barred from entering the mosque performed Friday prayers in the streets and on the steps of the Old City, particularly in the areas of Lions Gate, Al-Yusufiya Cemetery Road, Al-Musrara, and Herods Gate. The majority of them were residents of Jerusalem and those within the Palestinian territories, who found themselves completely excluded from the Old City.
As for the residents of the Old City, they performed prayers on the steps of Al-Aqsa and in the alleys. At the gates of the Old City, forces erected iron barriers at the entrances, and soldiers were stationed to check IDs and prevent anyone who was not a resident from entering. This is not the first closure of Al-Aqsa Mosque, the Holy Sepulcher, and the Old City; this closure is in accordance with instructions from the "Home Front Command" and under the pretext of an emergency. On October 1, 2024, the occupation authorities closed the mosque from after the “Asr” prayer until “Dawn” prayer the following day, following the launch of dozens of rockets by Iran. Al-Aqsa also witnessed an unpricedented closure in March 2020, which continued until the end of May of the same year, amid the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, in order to protect public health.
