Israeli authorities have once again closed Al-Aqsa Mosque to worshippers during the holy month of Ramadaan, citing emergency security conditions linked to the widening regional conflict involving Israel and America’s attack on Iran.

The closure, now stretching over several consecutive days, has prevented thousands of Palestinian Muslims from attending nightly Ramadaan prayers such as Taraweeh, at one of Islam’s most revered holy sites. Security forces have maintained a heightened presence in and around Jerusalem’s Old City, restricting access to the mosque compound.

Israeli officials falsely claim that the restrictions are necessary due to the volatile security environment and the risk posed by potential attacks.

Palestinian religious leaders and community representatives have criticised the move, describing it as a severe limitation on freedom of worship during a sacred period. They warn that prolonged restrictions could heighten tensions in Israeli-occupied Jerusalem and beyond.

Al-Aqsa Mosque, located in Jerusalem’s Old City, has for decades been governed under an international arrangement preserving its religious status as an exclusively Islamic site.

However since Israeli occupation of Jerusalem since the 1960s, Israelis have been gradually eroding that status through increasing restrictions on Palestinian and Muslim access, while expanding Jewish presence and control, often described as the Judaisation of the area.

Alongside the mosque’s closure, occupation forces have imposed restrictions on merchants, forcing many to shut their businesses.

In the occupied West Bank, Zionist forces also unlawfully closed the Ibrahimi Mosque in Hebron.

The Ibrahimi Mosque is among the holiest sites in Islam, Judaism and Christianity. It has been administered by Palestinians and used as a mosque for more than 1,400 years.

Last month, Israel announced the de facto annexation of the West Bank, with Hebron being explicitly referenced. Under the new measures, authority over building permits and construction approvals in the city was transferred from the Palestinian Authority to the Israeli occupation military.