Overview
- Civil Administration chief Brig. Gen. Hisham Ibrahim announced the closure and canceled Friday prayers at Al-Aqsa Mosque.
- Israeli police said the step enforces wartime rules that prohibit large gatherings and require people to stay near bomb shelters.
- The order covers all Old City holy sites, including the Western Wall, the Temple Mount/Noble Sanctuary, and the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, with entry barred to worshippers and visitors of every faith.
- Palestinian religious leaders and Waqf officials, including senior imam Sheikh Ikrima Sabri, condemned the decision as unjustified.
- The shutdown follows tightened Ramadan access, including a 10,000-person cap for West Bank worshippers, and comes as the Jordanian-administered compound faces mounting strains under Israeli security control and restricted Old City access for nonresidents.