Al-Aqsa Mosque Reopens After 40-Day Closure

Israeli authorities reopened the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in occupied East Jerusalem on Thursday after a 40-day closure, allowing around 3,000 Palestinian worshippers to attend morning prayers for the first time since late February. The site, one of Islam's holiest locations, had been sealed off along with the nearby Church of the Holy Sepulchre, citing security measures tied to the ongoing US-Israel war against Iran that began on February 28.

The closure, which marked the first complete ban on Eid al-Fitr prayers at Al-Aqsa since Israel's occupation of East Jerusalem in 1967, restricted access primarily for Palestinian Muslims while limiting visitors at Christian and Jewish sites to a few dozen daily. Israeli officials attributed the prolonged shutdown to a state of emergency, with the Home Front Command issuing updated instructions that prompted the reopening. Heavy security deployments, including hundreds of police officers and border guards, were stationed in the Old City's alleys and access roads to oversee the influx of visitors.

As worshippers streamed through the gates at dawn, videos captured crowds filling the courtyards, with volunteers and custodians completing...