Overview
- Al-Aqsa and other Old City holy sites stayed closed through Eid, forcing hundreds to hold street prayers at the gates as police used stun grenades, tear gas and physical force to disperse crowds.
- Israel said an Iranian missile impacted near the Old City by the Temple Mount during Eid, released video of the blast, and reported debris in nearby streets and at least one minor injury.
- Authorities pointed to nationwide wartime safety rules, including a cap on gatherings over 50 people, to justify keeping Jerusalem’s major holy sites closed.
- Researchers and multiple reports described the shutdown during Ramadan’s final days and Eid as the first since 1967, while Waqf staffing was tightly limited and Imam Sheikh Ikrima Sabri was detained earlier.
- Palestinian officials and eight Muslim-majority states condemned the closures and warned they risk eroding long-standing arrangements governing access and custodianship of the site.