Israel Reopens Al-Aqsa Mosque After 40-Day Closure Amid Settler Incursions

The Al-Aqsa Mosque reopened after a 40-day closure imposed by Israeli authorities.

“The Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in occupied East Jerusalem has reopened to Palestinian worshippers after a 40-day closure by Israel”

Al Jazeera

About 3,000 worshippers attended morning prayers, marking the first congregational worship since February 28.

Al Jazeera

The reopening came with heavy Israeli security presence and extended hours for Israeli settler incursions.

Israeli settlers stormed the compound and performed Talmudic rituals under police protection.

The closure had prevented Eid al-Fitr prayers for the first time since 1967.

Israeli authorities extended the daily windows for settler incursions by an additional 30 minutes.

The Palestinian Foreign Ministry condemned the extension as an ongoing escalation.

Al-Jazeera Net

Occupation police detained Munta Amara, a female activist who regularly prays at the mosque.

The reopening was overshadowed by confrontations and police assaulting some worshippers.

Hamas called on Palestinians to redouble their presence at Al-Aqsa.

The compound has been under continuous Islamic administration through the Jerusalem Waqf since the seventh century.

“Thousands of Palestinian worshippers gathered at the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem for the first Friday prayer after more than five weeks of closure”

Al-Jazeera Net

The 1967 arrangement stipulates that its holy shrines belong to Islam.

Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir has been a key driver of settler incursions.

The Palestinian Foreign Ministry condemned the measures as illegal and void.

Professor Mustafa Abu Sway noted the court referred to the site exclusively as the Temple Mount.

The closure and reopening occurred against the backdrop of the broader Israeli-American war on Iran.

More than 1,100 Palestinians had been killed in the occupied West Bank since October 2023.

Al-Monitor

At least 10,000 Palestinians were forcibly displaced.

The reopening subdued Lent, Passover, and Ramadan celebrations.

The Straits Times described the reopening as a moment of indescribable joy.