Authorities say the Al-Aqsa Mosque will be closed to worshipers and visitors of all faiths on Friday amid the spread of the conflict in Iran.
Published March 5, 2026
Israel’s Civil Administration canceled Friday prayers at the Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied East Jerusalem, the latest in a series of Israeli restrictions imposed on Islam’s third-holiest site since the start of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.
Head of the Civil Administration, Brigadier General Hisham Ibrahim, said on Thursday via the Israeli military’s Al Munasiq platform that the decision was made in light of Iran’s launch of retaliatory attacks against “Israel and the entire region.”
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Israel and its close ally the United States launched a military offensive against Iran on Saturday, as the mediator of talks between the countries, Oman, said a deal was “within reach” after Tehran agreed to never stockpile the enriched uranium needed to make a nuclear bomb.
“All holy sites in the Old City of Jerusalem, including the Western Wall, the Temple Mount and the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, will remain closed tomorrow, and worshipers and visitors of all religions will not be allowed to enter,” said the head of Israel’s governing body in the occupied West Bank.
Retaliatory Iranian missile strikes have so far killed 10 people in Israel, while at least 1,230 people have been killed in Israeli and US strikes.
Since the start of the US-Israel war against Iran, Israeli authorities have banned access to the Old City to anyone who is not a resident or shop owner.
Sheikh Ikrima Sabri, a senior imam of Al-Aqsa, sharply criticized Israel’s continued closure of Islam’s third-holiest site.
“The occupation authorities are taking every opportunity to close Al-Aqsa, and this is completely unjustified,” he told Al Jazeera on Sunday.
However, the imposition of Israeli restrictions predates the start of the war.
Last month, Israeli authorities announced that more than 10,000 Palestinians from the occupied West Bank would not be allowed to enter the mosque compound for the first prayer of Ramadan, just a fraction of the numbers that have traditionally gathered there in previous years. Al-Aqsa can accommodate up to half a million people.
The Old City is located in occupied East Jerusalem, which Israel occupied in 1967 and later annexed, a move contrary to international law.
Additionally, the site has become a regular target for visits by right-wing Israeli politicians and Israeli settlers, who have broken into the complex on an almost weekly basis and performed religious rituals under the protection of Israeli forces.
Palestinians fear that Israeli encroachment on the holy site has increased, and senior ministers offer prayers at the site.
The Al-Aqsa complex is administered by Jordan, but access to the site is controlled by Israeli security forces.
Under the status quo maintained for decades by Israeli authorities, Jews and other non-Muslims are allowed to visit the compound in occupied East Jerusalem during specific hours, but are not allowed to pray there or display religious symbols.
Israel’s National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir has repeatedly called for Jews to have the right to pray in the Al-Aqsa Mosque complex and has spoken out against the current status quo. In 2024, he said he would build a synagogue on the mosque grounds.
