Israel has announced it will allow 10,000 Palestinian worshippers to attend Friday prayers at the Al-Aqsa Mosque during the holy month of Ramadan, which began Wednesday.
However, Israeli authorities have imposed age restrictions. Entry will be permitted only to men aged 55 and older, women aged 50 and older, and children up to 12 accompanied by a first-degree relative. Worshippers must also obtain a special daily permit in advance, according to COGAT, the Israeli Defense Ministry body overseeing Palestinian civilian affairs in occupied territories.
Traditionally, hundreds of thousands of Palestinians gather at Al-Aqsa — Islam’s third-holiest site — during Ramadan. The mosque is located in East Jerusalem, captured by Israel in 1967 and later annexed in a move not internationally recognized.
The Palestinian Jerusalem Governorate alleged that Israeli authorities blocked the Jordanian-run Islamic Waqf from making routine Ramadan preparations, including installing shade structures and temporary medical clinics.
Senior imam Sheikh Muhammad Al-Abbasi also said he had been barred from entering the compound for a week without explanation, with the order subject to renewal.
Under longstanding arrangements, Jewish visitors may access the Al-Aqsa compound — revered in Judaism as the site of the First and Second Temples — but are not permitted to pray there. Israel says it remains committed to maintaining this status quo, though Palestinians express concern that it is gradually being undermined.
In recent years, some Jewish ultranationalists have challenged the prayer restrictions, including far-right politician Itamar Ben-Gvir, who prayed at the site while serving as national security minister in 2024 and 2025.
