For the first time since Israel occupied Jerusalem in 1967, Palestinians were barred from entering Al-Aqsa Mosque on Eid al-Fitr, as the Israeli occupation sealed the holy site entirely and deployed heavy forces across the Old City to prevent worshippers from reaching one of Islam’s most sacred places.
The Israeli occupation authorities shut down Al-Aqsa Mosque citing the security situation arising from the ongoing US-Israeli war on Iran, a justification condemned by Palestinian officials and religious leaders as a false and fabricated excuse designed to mislead public opinion. The closure prevented not only ordinary worshippers but also the mosque’s own guards and staff from entering the compound. No more than 25 Waqf staff members were permitted inside per shift throughout the entire closure period.
When thousands of worshippers gathered outside the walls of the Old City in East Jerusalem to perform their Eid prayers, the Israeli occupation responded with force. Using batons, stun grenades, and tear gas, Israeli occupation forces attacked the Palestinians gathered to pray, as well as two journalists, one Palestinian and one foreign, despite their clear identification as members of the press. Israeli forces pushed worshippers toward the Wadi al-Joz neighbourhood and detained at least one individual.
Israeli occupation forces were also deployed around several Jerusalem neighbourhoods including areas near Bab Al-Amud and Bab Al-Sahira, dispersing worshippers and preventing any prayer gatherings. Tear gas was fired to break up crowds, and worshippers were forcibly pushed toward nearby neighborhoods to stop them from praying even in open areas outside the mosque.
Despite the violence, Palestinians refused to abandon their prayers. Leading Palestinian Islamic cleric Ekrima Said Sabri issued a fatwa calling on all Muslims to attend Eid prayers at the nearest possible location to Al-Aqsa, saying that in religious terms, praying near the mosque would carry the same spiritual reward as praying inside it. Sabri’s lawyer Khaled Zabarqa said it had become clear to everyone that the closure of Al-Aqsa since the beginning of the war on Iran carried Israeli political goals and agendas, representing a deliberate attempt to exploit the regional conflict to advance Judaisation plans on the blessed mosque.
The Israeli occupation’s closure was condemned by eight Muslim-majority countries, who stated that Israel has no sovereignty over the revered site and demanded the restrictions be lifted immediately. However, the closure continued unchecked. The Arab League also condemned the attacks and the ongoing restrictions, warning that the extremist policies driving the Israeli government would lead to widespread confrontations if the international community failed to intervene.
Since the beginning of 2026, the Jerusalem Governorate has documented more than 260 orders forcibly barring Palestinian worshippers from Al-Aqsa Mosque without any justification. Palestinian officials and religious figures warned that what is being presented as a temporary security measure could gradually become a permanent arrangement, with the Israeli occupation exploiting every regional crisis to further tighten its grip over the holy site.
Palestinians described this Eid as the most sombre in living memory, forced to observe one of Islam’s holiest celebrations on the streets outside the gates of a mosque that has stood as the spiritual heart of their identity for generations.
