Thousands of Palestinians pray at Al-Aqsa Mosque after Israel’s 40-day ban

About 3,000 worshippers enter Al-Aqsa for morning prayers after Israel lifts restrictions.Muslim worshippers pray in front of the Dome of the Rock at Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in Jerusalem, on April 9, 2026 [Sinan Abu Mayzer/Reuters]Published On 9 Apr 2026The Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in occupied Jerusalem" class="entity-link entity-location" data-entity-id="3077" data-entity-type="location">East Jerusalem has reopened to Palestinian worshippers after a 40-day closure by Israel.Video verified by Al Jazeera showed Palestinians streaming through its gates early on Thursday morning. About 3,000 worshippers attended morning prayers.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4Worshippers pray outside Al-Aqsa amid closure on al-Quds Daylist 2 of 4Muslims pray near closed Al-Aqsa Mosque on Ramadan holy nightlist 3 of 4Israelis attempt to perform Passover sacrifice at Al-Aqsalist 4 of 4Israeli closure of Al-Aqsa ‘selective’, ‘discriminatory’end of listAccess had been completely prohibited, or restricted to a few dozen faithful at Christian, Jewish and Muslim sites following the outbreak of the United States-Israeli war on Iran on February 28. Israel often imposes restrictions, especially on Palestinian worshippers.The Islamic Waqf Department in occupied Jerusalem confirmed that the doors of Al-Aqsa would be reopened to all worshippers from dawn. The Jordanian-affiliated religious authority responsible for managing the mosque did not provide further details.Video from earlier showed volunteers and caretakers in courtyards and prayer areas preparing to receive worshippers and holding religious rites.Israeli authorities announced the planned opening of the mosque and the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem" class="entity-link entity-location" data-entity-id="3077" data-entity-type="location">East Jerusalem on Wednesday evening.Israeli Police attributed the opening of holy sites to what it called “updated instructions from the Israeli Home Front Command”.The statement noted intensive security reinforcements, including hundreds of police officers and border guards in the alleys of the Old City of Jerusalem and roads leading to the holy sites, aimed at “securing visitors”.Later on Thursday, Israeli settlers stormed the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound and performed Talmudic rituals, under the protection of Israeli Police, the official Palestinian news agency Wafa reported.Wafa also reported that Israeli authorities had extended the daily windows for Israeli settler incursions by an additional 30 minutes, meaning the raids would now be permitted from 06:30 until 11:30 and also from 13:30 until 15:00.The Chief Justice of Palestine, Advisor to the President for Religious Affairs and Islamic Relations, Mahmoud Al-Habbash, condemned the storming of the compound and called the actions of the settlers a “flagrant violation of the existing and historical status of the Noble Sanctuary, which fuels religious war and threatens the security and stability of the region and the world”, Wafa reported.He added that the adoption of new measures that allow settlers to stay for longer periods of time were preventing Muslims from exercising their freedom of worship.Jerusalem and its holy sites have been subjected to strict security measures and frequent closures during the regional war of the past six weeks.The restrictions subdued Lent, Passover and Ramadan celebrations for many in some of the holiest sites for Christianity, Islam and Judaism.Authorities also prevented Eid al-Fitr prayers at Al-Aqsa this year – the first such restriction since Israel’s illegal occupation of Jerusalem" class="entity-link entity-location" data-entity-id="3077" data-entity-type="location">East Jerusalem in 1967.But the bans have been lifted just in time for Orthodox Christians, who celebrate Easter on Sunday, a week after Catholics and Protestants.No letup in raids in the occupied West BankIsraeli raids have continued across the occupied West Bank.Israeli forces detained a woman and assaulted a man during an early raid on Thursday in Nablus, the Palestinian news agency Wafa reported.The Ramallah-based Palestinian Ministry of Health separately said Israeli forces fatally shot a Palestinian man near the village of Tayasir in the northern West Bank on Wednesday night.The ministry said 28-year-old Alaa Khaled Mohammed Sbeih “was shot and killed” by Israeli forces, while the Israeli military said an off-duty soldier fired at a stone-thrower.Wafa said six young men were detained in a raid on Tayasir, while in Yabad, south of Jenin, Israeli troops stormed several homes at dawn, destroying the contents of three houses. Forces also raided the villages of Qusra and Awarta, but no arrests were reported there.Attacks by Israeli forces across Gaza and the occupied West Bank have continued, along with Israel’s wars on Iran and Lebanon.The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) says more than 1,100 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces and settlers in the occupied West Bank since October 2023, with at least 10,000 forcibly displaced.