Throughout his life, Dr Mustafa Abu Sway has always performed congregational prayers at Al-Aqsa Mosque alongside thousands of worshippers.
Even during Covid-19 pandemic closures, dozens were still permitted to pray at the mosque, one of Islam’s holiest sites, located in Jerusalem’s Old City.
But this week, for the first time in his life, he found himself praying alone within the vast 144,000-square-metre complex.
“Even the guard wasn’t there,” Abu Sway, a member of the Islamic Waqf Council in Jerusalem, told Middle East Eye. “I was completely alone.”
The Islamic Waqf, or religious endowment, is a Jordanian-appointed organisation overseeing the management of Al-Aqsa Mosque.
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“I won’t deny it, I had tears in my eyes,” Abu Sway added.
On Friday, Israeli forces completely shut down Al-Aqsa Mosque, citing the ongoing war on Iran.
But Palestinian residents and religious officials fear more is at play.
The move fits a broader pattern, Palestinians say, in which Israel exploits major events to implement significant changes affecting Palestinians, all while avoiding local and international backlash.
The aim is to impose a new reality on Al-Aqsa, one that would ultimately divide the site between Muslims and Jews.
“There is concern that Israel has objectives far beyond public safety,” said Fakhri Abu Diab, a Palestinian activist and expert on Jerusalem affairs.
“It is increasingly clear that they are working to empty Al-Aqsa Mosque, possibly preparing for something larger under the guise of security.”
Lockdown at Al-Aqsa
The closure of Al-Aqsa Mosque came into effect on Friday morning, shortly after Israel launched strikes on Iran.
Worshippers were forcibly removed by Israeli forces following dawn prayer, and the mosque’s gates were sealed shut.
Only Islamic Waqf workers, responsible for maintaining the mosque, have been allowed entry since.
“Al-Aqsa is under lockdown,” said a Palestinian worker inside the mosque, speaking anonymously to MEE. He added that whenever worshippers attempted to reach the mosque for prayers, they were beaten by Israeli forces.
‘What’s troubling is that we don’t know how long it will remain shut. There’s no end date’
– Mustafa Abu Sway, a member of the Islamic Waqf Council in Jerusalem
“Every entrance has a checkpoint,” he continued.
The closure, now entering its fifth day, is unprecedented in recent memory.
In 2014 and then in 2017, Israeli forces briefly closed the mosque amid heightened tensions in Jerusalem. The 2014 closure was described as a “declaration of war” by Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas at the time.
Before that, no such days-long closure has been recorded since Israel’s occupation of the city in 1967.
Although Israeli authorities claim the closure is temporary, those on the ground remain unconvinced.
“There is no convincing reason for the mosque to be closed like this,” said Abu Sway. “This move raises serious concerns about Palestinians being forced into a new reality.”
He argued that if large gatherings are the concern, limiting the number of worshippers allowed in at a time would be a reasonable solution.
But a complete closure, he added, is simply “unfair and unjust”.
“Al-Aqsa has never been closed like this before,” he told MEE.
“What’s more troubling is that we don’t know how long it will remain shut. There’s no end date, and no clarity about how long this war will continue.”
Changing Al-Aqsa’s status quo
Beyond the immediate frustration of being locked out, Palestinians fear Israel is using the current crisis to impose lasting changes on the historic site.
With the world’s focus now divided between the wars on Gaza and Iran, many worry Israeli authorities are quietly advancing plans long resisted by Palestinians.
‘Sadly, 99 percent of this plan has already been imposed under the shadow of the war on Gaza. It’s become a reality’
– Aouni Bazbaz, director of international affairs, Islamic Waqf
“Israel is using war conditions to impose new restrictions and realities,” said Aouni Bazbaz, director of international affairs at the Islamic Waqf.
Bazbaz and others point to a long-standing Israeli effort to divide Al-Aqsa Mosque both spatially and temporally, restricting Muslim access during certain times while gradually increasing Jewish presence, often under police protection.
“They’ve been working on this for over 20 years,” he said.
“Sadly, 99 percent of this plan has already been imposed under the shadow of the war on Gaza. It’s become a reality.”
Abu Diab echoed that concern.
“The eastern section of the mosque, Bab al-Rahma, has been effectively turned into an undeclared temple,” he said.
Israeli settlers and far-right activists raid Al-Aqsa Mosque almost daily, with their numbers steadily increasing over the past two decades.
Al-Aqsa Mosque: Israeli raids and incursions explained
Read More »
In recent months, they have raised the Israeli flag and regularly performed Jewish religious practices in the eastern section of the Al-Aqsa Mosque complex, in an area known as Bab al-Rahma. Both actions were previously blocked by Israeli authorities, fearing a Palestinian backlash.
Unsolicited visits, prayers, and rituals by non-Muslims at Al-Aqsa are prohibited under decades-old international agreements known as the status quo. However, Israeli authorities and settlers frequently violate these norms.
“Only a few weeks ago, settlers were dancing there and thanking [Israeli National Security Minister Itamar] Ben Gvir for his role. It’s clear they’re celebrating what they see as a shift in control.”
Both Bazbaz and Abu Diab believe these developments are part of a broader strategy to “normalise” Al-Aqsa’s closure, particularly during Jewish holidays, as has already happened at the Ibrahimi Mosque in Hebron.
“The public is being conditioned to accept closures,” said Abu Diab. “They want to diminish the sanctity of Al-Aqsa in people’s minds, to make it seem normal that it’s shut down.”
Increasing restrictions
While Al-Aqsa’s gates remain closed to the public, those permitted to enter – primarily Waqf staff – face severe movement restrictions, deepening concerns about Israeli overreach.
“Employees are not allowed to move freely within the mosque and its courtyards,” said Abu Diab.
“The police stationed at the gates restrict where staff can go, telling them there’s no need to patrol because ‘Al-Aqsa is closed.’ This signals a dangerous shift in control over the space.”
A mosque worker, speaking anonymously, described difficulties staff face accessing the site.
“For example, some colleagues try to enter through Lion’s Gate but are told to go around to Silsilah Gate,” he explained.
“That route is much longer, but they walk it anyway. When they finally reach Silsilah, police say, ‘We’ll open this gate at another hour.’”
Abu Sway also described new limits on his access.
“Today I had to wait outside one of the gates until noon because employees are only allowed in during two specific time slots,” he said.
“I was forced to wait until 12:00 before the police opened the gate. This has never happened before.”
Across the Old City, checkpoints and curfews have made movement nearly impossible for most Palestinians. Residents report being turned away even when trying to access the mosque for prayer or work.
“The police look at your ID. If you’re not a resident of the Old City, they don’t let you in,” said Abu Sway.
‘We are denied even our basic right to access our places of worship’
– Fakhri Abu Diab, expert on Jerusalem affairs
Bazbaz fears the restrictions will only intensify.
“Yesterday I told my wife, with what I’ve seen recently, I wouldn’t be surprised if in a few years we need to book an appointment through an app just to pray.”
Meanwhile, just outside Al-Aqsa’s Mughrabi Gate, Israelis continue to have unrestricted access to the Western Wall Plaza.
“They are not prevented from reaching their prayer site,” said Abu Diab. “We, on the other hand, are blocked from ours.”
For him, this is the most painful part.
“We are denied even our basic right to access our places of worship.
“If people don’t wake up quickly and push to change the situation, we’ll find ourselves facing a new reality.”
