Al-Aqsa Mosque reopens to worshippers after 40-day closure: WAFA

JERUSALEM – 9 April 2026: Al-Aqsa Mosque has reopened to worshippers without restrictions starting from dawn prayers on Thursday, Palestinian news agency WAFA reported.

The announcement, made by the Jerusalem Islamic Waqf, came after a 40-day closure imposed by Israeli authorities which cited a “state of emergency” amid the recent US-Israeli war with Iran.

During the shutdown, Israeli forces enforced tight security around the mosque and sealed gates to Jerusalem’s Old City.

The period also coincided with the Jewish Passover (April 2-9), during which groups advocating for the so-called “Temple” intensified calls to storm the site and perform rituals inside.

Religious and official bodies had warned that the continued closure constituted a serious violation of freedom of worship and urged urgent international action to halt such measures.