Israel continues closing Al-Aqsa Mosque for 17th consecutive day

Israeli authorities have kept Al-Aqsa Mosque closed to worshippers for the seventeenth consecutive day, citing security developments in the region, Jerusalem Governor Moshe Lion said.

In a statement, the governor emphasised that the measures cannot be considered temporary security precautions, describing them as part of a political and ideological agenda aimed at altering the religious, historical, and legal status of the holy site, Qatar News Agency (QNA) reports.

Earlier, Lion warned of a significant increase in incitement rhetoric by so-called extremist Temple organisations against Al-Aqsa amid the ongoing closures.

During the first ten days of Ramadan, worshippers were prohibited from performing Taraweeh prayers and Itikaf (spiritual retreat) at Al-Aqsa Mosque for the first time since Israel occupied the site in 1967. This coincided with the large-scale deployment of occupation forces around the mosque and the gates of the Old City of occupied Jerusalem.

By Jeyhun Aghazada