Israel reopens Al-Aqsa Mosque as it extends settler raid hours
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MEE staff
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Thu, 04/09/2026 - 08:36
Jerusalem Governorate warns move will ‘entrench time-based division’ between Palestinians and Israelis at the Islamic site
Muslim worshippers gather at the Al-Aqsa Mosque for the fajr dawn prayer in Jerusalem on 9 April 2026 (AFP/Ahmad Gharabli)
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Israeli authorities reopened Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied East Jerusalem on Thursday after an unprecedented closure lasting more than 40 days.
More than 3,000 Palestinian worshippers performed the dawn (Fajr) prayer at the site for the first time since the United States and Israel launched their joint assault on Iran on 28 February.
Footage shared online showed the reopening of the mosque’s gates, with large crowds entering its courtyards and expressing joy at returning after the prolonged closure.
Videos also showed volunteers and mosque custodians cleaning and preparing the site to receive worshippers.
Israel had closed Al-Aqsa - one of Islam’s holiest sites - and barred Palestinian Muslims from accessing it, including during Ramadan, Eid al-Fitr and Friday prayers.
Israeli authorities cited security concerns linked to the war on Iran, but Palestinians have questioned these claims, particularly as large Jewish holiday gatherings have been permitted elsewhere.
Many accuse Israel of using the war as a pretext to tighten control over the site, including regulating access, opening hours and permitted activities.
Al-Aqsa Mosque reopened on Thursday after being closed for 40 days due to Israel’s restrictions on the holy site pic.twitter.com/p1oO9eXuro
— Middle East Eye (@MiddleEastEye) April 9, 2026
Al-Aqsa Mosque, located in Jerusalem’s Old City, is governed by the decades-old Status Quo, an international arrangement that recognises its Islamic character and grants Muslim authorities control over access, worship and maintenance.
Israel has long violated this arrangement, including by allowing raids and prayers by ultra-nationalist Israelis inside the site without Palestinian consent.
Israel’s control of East Jerusalem, including the Old City, is widely regarded as a violation of international law, which holds that an occupying power has no sovereignty over the territory it occupies and must not impose permanent changes.
Extended settler raids
Israeli authorities have also resumed near-daily incursions by ultra-nationalists into Al-Aqsa following its reopening, while extending their duration.
Dozens entered the site from 6:30am local time, shortly after Muslim worshippers were cleared from the site following dawn prayers.
Those entering were seen praying and dancing under heavy police protection.
'The extension reflects an acceleration in efforts to impose new realities at Al-Aqsa Mosque and entrench time-based division'
- Jerusalem Governorate
Before the war, such incursions took place in two shifts on weekdays: from 7:00am to 11:00am and from 1:30pm to 2:30pm.
The practice started back in 2003, during the Second Palestinian Intifada, before becoming more structured in 2008, when limited groups were allowed entry for up to three hours in the morning.
Since then, the numbers have grown significantly, drawing tens of thousands each year, while the duration has steadily expanded, including the addition of a second shift.
Under a new schedule approved before the war on Iran, raids now run from 6:30am to 11:30am and from 1:30pm to 3:00pm, totalling six and a half hours daily.
The Jerusalem Governorate described the extension as a “dangerous escalation” that further undermines the status quo.
“The extension reflects an acceleration in efforts to impose new realities at Al-Aqsa Mosque and entrench time-based division, particularly following its reopening after a 40-day closure,” it said.
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