For the first time since 1967.. The occupation closes Al-Aqsa Mosque and prevents I'tikaf during Ramadan

Sadness cast a pall over the occupied city of Jerusalem during the holy month of Ramadan, after the Israeli occupation authorities completely closed the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque since the outbreak of the recent military confrontations. The repressive measures allowed only five people to be present inside the mosque to perform prayers: the Imam, the Muezzin, the prayer leader, the pulpit guard, and the mosque director, a scene the holy city had never witnessed before.

The alleys of the Old City surrounding the Noble Sanctuary became like a military barracks, with hundreds of Israeli soldiers and police officers heavily deployed at all entrances and axes. This security mobilization aims to prevent Jerusalemite citizens from reaching Al-Aqsa Mosque, imposing a suffocating siege that isolates the first Qibla of Muslims from its popular and religious surroundings.

Despite these strict restrictions and direct threats from the occupation army, a number of worshipers insisted on reaching the closest possible point to the mosque. Hundreds gathered at the walls of the Old City, where they performed their prayers in the streets and public squares, affirming their adherence to their right to access their holy sites and their rejection of the policy of forced closure.

For its part, the Jerusalem Governorate issued a statement warning of the serious repercussions of this closure, describing it as having political and strategic dimensions aimed at changing the status quo. The Governorate indicated that the occupation authorities, through this step, seek to impose a new reality within the mosque and undermine the powers of the legitimate administration responsible for it.

The Governorate stressed that this is the first time Al-Aqsa Mosque has been closed and I'tikaf prevented during the month of Ramadan by an occupation decision since the occupation of the city in 1967. It considered this measure a blatant assault on freedom of worship and a transgression of all red lines and international conventions that guarantee the protection of holy sites.

In a related context, informed sources reported that the occupation authorities intend to keep the gates of Al-Aqsa Mosque closed even during the blessed Eid al-Fitr days. This decision would deprive tens of thousands of Palestinians from performing Eid prayers in the mosque's courtyards, increasing the state of tension and popular anger in the occupied territories.

On the social media front, digital platforms were abuzz with expressions of dissatisfaction and warnings against Israeli schemes targeting the identity of Al-Aqsa Mosque. Commentators considered that the international community's silence on these violations encourages the occupation to persist in its measures aimed at emptying the mosque of worshipers and facilitating subsequent incursions.

Activists pointed to the great paradox between the millions of people who used to flock to Al-Aqsa in previous years and the forced silence imposed by the occupation today. They affirmed that transforming the mosque from a place bustling with worshipers during the last ten days of Ramadan into deserted squares is a crime against faith and Palestinian history.

Observers warned that closing the mosque under the pretext of security conditions and a state of emergency could be a prelude to more dangerous steps aimed at the temporal and spatial division of the mosque. They called for urgent action at all official and popular levels to break this siege and protect the mosque from ongoing Judaization schemes.

For its part, the Arab League entered the crisis, affirming in an official statement that the occupation has no right to take any measures that prevent Muslims from practicing their religious rituals. The League called on the international community to take a firm and strict stance that obliges Israel to stop its continuous violations against Islamic and Christian holy sites in Jerusalem.

The occupation authorities began implementing this comprehensive closure on February 28, citing the declaration of a state of extreme emergency. This measure coincided with escalating regional tensions, making Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Old City completely isolated areas from the outside world by military decision.

The scene in Jerusalem remains open to all possibilities in light of the occupation's insistence on keeping worshipers away from their mosque, and the Jerusalemites' insistence on staying at the closest possible point. Palestinian calls continue for the necessity of traveling to Al-Aqsa and challenging the occupation's measures to ensure that the call to prayer and prayers remain present in its courtyards.

Closing Al-Aqsa Mosque carries serious political and strategic dimensions, and is an attempt to impose a new reality in the mosque and undermine the legitimate administration.