Khaberni - Israeli occupation forces continue to close the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied Jerusalem and prevent worshippers from accessing it for the twenty-ninth consecutive day, citing the security situations linked to the US-Israeli war on Iran.
This coincides with the ongoing isolation of the Old City in Jerusalem from its surroundings, with military barriers and the spread of occupation forces in its neighborhoods, preventing Jerusalemites from entering except for its residents.
Meanwhile, the occupation authorities imposed strict restrictions that prevented the Friday prayer at Al-Aqsa Mosque, where Israeli police were heavily deployed at the entrances of the Old City and the gates of the mosque, preventing Palestinians from entering, forcing hundreds to pray in the nearby streets.
This ongoing closure since the end of last February is amid unprecedented security measures, coinciding with the declaration of a state of emergency.
The restrictive measures were not only limited to Muslims, but also affected Christian holy sites, as the Church of the Holy Sepulchre continued to be closed to worshippers and visitors, reflecting a comprehensive policy to isolate the holy city from its environment.
In the streets of Jerusalem, occupation forces chased worshippers who tried to gather in Salah al-Din Street and areas adjacent to the walls of the Old City, using force to disperse them and force them to leave public squares, in an attempt to prevent any manifestations of communal prayer outside the mosque walls.
Eyewitnesses confirmed that the guards of Al-Aqsa Mosque and the employees of the Islamic Waqf Department are the only ones allowed inside the mosque courtyards, and prayers are held inside the roofed prayer halls with very limited numbers, while the outside courtyards remain completely empty of worshippers who used to flock to Al-Aqsa on Fridays.
