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Holy sites reopen in Jerusalem’s Old City after over a month of closure

57 0
09.04.2026

Thousands of Muslim worshipers streamed through the gates of Al-Aqsa Mosque on the Temple Mount before dawn Thursday, the first time public prayer has been held at the site for over a month due to the war with Iran.

The prayer took place in the wake of the police decision to reopen all holy sites in Jerusalem’s Old City for public gatherings in light of the two-week ceasefire declared Tuesday.

Police announced the move soon after the Home Front Command loosened its wartime safety guidelines, allowing for public gatherings in Jerusalem to take place without limitations.

Hundreds of officers were deployed to the Old City, as law enforcement predicted a large influx of people in the area. Indeed, a large, cheering crowd was seen flowing through one of the large gates to the Al-Aqsa complex, after employees opened the doors.

Some worshipers were seen distributing dates and coffee in the mosque, celebrating the site’s reopening.

Scuffles broke out between some individuals and police, leading to the brief arrest of one Arab Israeli woman, according to the Wadi Hilweh Information Center, an Arab news site based in Jerusalem.

Later in the morning, Jewish visitors also went up to the Temple Mount and were seen prostrating themselves near the eastern wall of the flashpoint site. Another group was filmed singing directly opposite the Dome of the Rock.

دخول المقدسيين للمسجد الأقصى بعد فتح أبوابه التي أغلقها الاحتلال 40 يوما متواصلا.لكن ذلك لا يعني أن عدوان الاحتلال قد انتهى، إذ ليس من حق الاحتلال أساسا أن يغلق المسجد لأي سبب كان، وتذرعه بالأوضاع الأمنية وصفة شيطانية يستغلها لفرض هيمنته الكاملة على المسجد المبارك، ثم تكريس… pic.twitter.com/YwOPtmsrwy Advertisement if(typeof rgb_remove_toi_dfp_banner != "function" || !rgb_remove_toi_dfp_banner("#336x280_Middle_1")){ window.tude = window.tude || { cmd: [] };........

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