Israeli authorities continue to bar Muslims from Friday prayers at Al-Aqsa Mosque, the third-holiest mosque in Islam, for the fourth consecutive week, keeping the site closed since late February under emergency measures linked to the war with Iran, Anadolu reports. Israeli police kept the mosque’s gates closed and deployed forces across Jerusalem’s Old City to prevent worshippers from entering the compound. Authorities closed the site after the war began, citing Home Front Command directives banning large gatherings. Since then, prayers at the mosque have been restricted to only guards and members of the Islamic Waqf, which oversees the site. Israeli authorities also closed the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, one of Christianity’s most important holy sites. Witnesses told Anadolu that […]
This article was sourced from Middle East Monitor.
Read Full Article on Middle East Monitor →![A view of the Al-Aqsa Mosque, which has been kept closed to Muslims in East Jerusalem since February 28, following restrictions imposed by Israel citing its attacks on Iran, as seen on March 27, 2026. [Mostafa Alkharouf - Anadolu Agency]](https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/AA-20260327-40938673-40938669-ISRAELI_RESTRICTIONS_KEEP_ALAQSA_OFFLIMITS_SINCE_FEBRUARY_28-1-1.jpg)
