Overview
- Foreign ministers of the UAE, Türkiye, Egypt, Jordan, Indonesia, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Qatar issued a joint statement condemning the closure and demanding the immediate reopening of Al-Aqsa’s gates.
- Israeli police say Al-Aqsa and all Old City holy sites, including the Western Wall and the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, remain closed for security to safeguard public safety during the conflict with Iran.
- The ministers asserted Israel has no sovereignty over occupied East Jerusalem’s holy sites and reaffirmed the Jordan-affiliated Jerusalem Waqf as the sole authority to administer Al-Aqsa and regulate entry across its 144-dunam compound.
- The restrictions have effectively barred large numbers of Palestinian worshippers during Ramadan, when tens of thousands would ordinarily attend Friday prayers at the mosque.
- Palestinian officials and Hamas called the ongoing closure a violation of rights and a dangerous precedent, while the eight states urged the international community to press Israel to lift the measures.