ISRAEL BANS EID PRAYERS AT AL-AQSA MOSQUE, CITING SECURITY RESTRICTIONS

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Fri 20 March 2026:

Israeli authorities have banned Eid al-Fitr prayers at Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied East Jerusalem, citing security restrictions imposed amid the war against Iran, Anadolu reports.

Palestinians called Friday on worshippers to gather near the Old City to perform prayers as close to Al-Aqsa as possible for marking the end of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan.

Israeli police have previously used batons, sound grenades and tear gas against Palestinians who prayed outside the Old City’s walls in protest against restrictions on Al-Aqsa during Ramadan.

Occupied East Jerusalem entered the festive period in a somber mood.

The Old City, which normally fills with Palestinians in the days before Eid, was eerily quiet, resembling a ghost town.

Israel restricted access, citing its assembly ban, while Palestinian shopkeepers were prevented from opening their stores, with only pharmacies and essential food shops permitted to operate.

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Palestinian traders, who declined to be named, fearing Israeli reprisals, said the restrictions had left them in severe economic distress.

The Jerusalem Governorate condemned the closure as a dangerous escalation and a direct assault on religious freedom.

“These measures aim to impose new Judaizing realities and isolate the mosque from its Palestinian and Islamic surroundings,” it said in a statement carried by Wafa.

Al-Aqsa Mosque has been closed for 21 consecutive days.

In Gaza, Palestinians marked Eid surrounded by rubble. Families gathered in open spaces and outside damaged mosques to perform prayers. Despite the genocide and displacement, worshippers maintained Eid traditions.

Israeli attacks have destroyed more than 1,100 of Gaza’s roughly 1,240 mosques since late 2023, according to local reports.

SOURCE: INDEPENDENT PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES

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