After 40-day closure: Al-Aqsa Mosque reopens to worshippers at dawn Thursday

QUDS, April 09 (YPA) –  Large numbers of Palestinians worshippers were able to perform the Fajr prayer at Al-Aqsa Mosque after 40 days of closure imposed by the Israeli occupation authorities.

The mosque had been shut under emergency measures introduced after the war with Iran.

Footage showed the reopening of Al-Aqsa’s gates and the entry of worshippers, with crowds flowing into the mosque compound, expressing joy at returning after a prolonged absence.

The reopening took place amid heightened security measures imposed by Israeli occupation forces.

On Wednesday evening, the Jerusalem Islamic Waqf Department announced the reopening of Al-Aqsa Mosque to worshippers, without restrictions on numbers, starting from dawn prayer on Thursday, following a 40-day closure imposed by Israeli occupation authorities under the pretext of a “state of emergency” and security measures.

During the closure, Israeli forces imposed strict military measures around the mosque and closed the gates of the Old City of Jerusalem.

Groups supporting the so-called alleged “Temple” took advantage of the Jewish Passover period, which began on April 2 and continues until April 9, to incite the storming of Al-Aqsa Mosque and call for sacrificial rituals inside it.

Official and religious authorities had warned of the dangers of the continued closure of Al-Aqsa Mosque, considering it a blatant violation of freedom of worship and a serious escalation requiring urgent international intervention to halt these measures.

@E.Y.M