Al-Aqsa Mosque reopens to worshippers for 1st Friday prayers after weeks-long closure

Thousands of Palestinian worshippers gathered at Al-Aqsa Mosque for the first Friday prayers after a closure that lasted more than five weeks.

Israel announced Wednesday that it would reopen Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in occupied East Jerusalem starting Thursday morning, allowing access for the first time in 40 days following restrictions imposed during the US-Israeli war on Iran.

Large crowds began arriving in the early morning hours, filling the mosque’s courtyards with men, women, children, and elderly worshippers in a reflection of Palestinians’ eagerness to return after a prolonged absence.

During the closure, Palestinians were barred from performing daily prayers, including five consecutive Friday prayers on March 6, 13, 20, and 27, and April 3. Worship resumed on the sixth Friday, April 10.

Israeli authorities had closed both sites since Feb. 28, citing security measures during the US-Israeli war on Iran.

They also prevented Eid al-Fitr prayers from being held at Al-Aqsa this year for the first time since Israel occupied East Jerusalem in 1967.

* Writing by Lina Altawell in Istanbul.