Israel Reimposes Ban on Entry to Al-Aqsa Mosque Indefinitely

Israel Reimposes Ban on Entry to Al-Aqsa Mosque Indefinitely
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On Sunday morning, Israeli occupation police once again closed Al-Aqsa Mosque, barring Muslim worshippers from entering “until further notice,” Middle East Monitor reported. According to eyewitnesses, only employees, workers, and security personnel were permitted access, following directives from the Israeli Home Front Command.

This latest closure follows a partial restriction three days earlier, which limited worshippers to 500 at a time. The mosque was initially closed on June 13, coinciding with the start of Israel’s military actions against Iran.

On Saturday evening, Israeli police conducted raids across all prayer halls within Al-Aqsa, as well as the Civil Status Office responsible for guards and the fire department located in the Dome of the Rock courtyard. During these searches, the police reportedly destroyed contents and desecrated the mosque by throwing copies of the Quran onto the ground, citing the need to inspect Quran storage rooms.

Four guards from Al-Aqsa—Mohammed Arabash, Ramzi Al-Za’anin, Basem Abu Jumaa, and Iyad Odeh—were arrested during the raid but later released after questioning. They have been banned from entering the mosque for one week, with the ban subject to extension.

In response, the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the largest Muslim civil rights group in the U.S., condemned Israel’s renewed closure of Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem, calling it an attack on Islam and Palestinian rights. CAIR urged the U.S. and Muslim-majority countries to demand the ban be lifted. CAIR Deputy Executive Director Edward Ahmed Mitchell criticized the Israeli government for restricting access to the holy site, stating that the Netanyahu regime has no right to do so. He called on the U.S. to oppose these restrictions on religious freedom and urged the Muslim world to demand reopening of Al-Aqsa Mosque.