Thousands of Muslims prayed at Al-Aqsa Mosque in the occupied East Jerusalem Thursday as Israel reopened the Islamic holy site to worshippers following a 40-day closure over the Iran war.
According to an Anadolu Agency (AA) correspondent, the mosque, located in the Old City, was reopened at dawn, allowing Palestinian Muslims to enter the Al-Haram al-Sharif compound.
As the gates were opened with the morning call to prayer, large numbers of worshippers flocked to the site, with many seen breaking into tears and performing prostrations in the mosque’s courtyards.
They lined up for the dawn prayer, marking the first congregational worship at the site since its closure.
Israel's far-right national security minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, had stormed the compound on April 6 while it remained closed for Muslims.
Israel had completely shut access to Al-Aqsa Mosque on Feb. 28, coinciding with its attacks on Iran, allowing only mosque staff and officials from the Jerusalem Islamic Waqf to pray on site, while other Palestinians were forced to worship in smaller mosques across the city.
Authorities also prevented Eid al-Fitr prayers from being held at Al-Aqsa this year, marking the first such restriction since Israel’s occupation of East Jerusalem in 1967.
Israeli authorities had also closed the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, one of Christianity’s holiest sites in Jerusalem, during the same period.
The Israeli government had extended a state of emergency until mid-April but did not clarify whether the mosque would remain closed throughout that period.
