“For me, al-Aqsa is oxygen. Al-Aqsa is the secret of our existence,” Ahmad al-Safadi told Jerusalem Story.1 “When I wake up, the first thing I do is look out the window at the Dome of the Rock in al-Aqsa Mosque. I check on it even before I check on my children. If al-Aqsa is fine, then I am fine.” The Jerusalemite researcher from the al-Sa‘diyya neighborhood described his feelings after Israeli authorities recently issued an order banning him from al-Aqsa for six months. The mosque is visible from the roof of his Old City home.

The renewable ban order was issued to al-Safadi on January 18, 2026, and is the longest he has received as a result of his work documenting Israeli violations in al-Aqsa Mosque and elsewhere in Jerusalem.

The ban is part of a broader and intensifying Israeli campaign to restrict Palestinian worshippers and religious figures from accessing al-Aqsa Mosque on arbitrary grounds.2 His latest ban order prohibits al-Safadi from approaching any of the gates of al-Aqsa Mosque under threat of immediate arrest and prolonged detention. The ban follows a widespread incitement campaign against al-Safadi by the extreme right-wing parties in Israel, spearheaded by Minister of National Security Itamar Ben Gvir and amplified by Hebrew Channel 14.

“My only crime is that I conducted interviews inside al-Aqsa Mosque and gave interviews to Arab media outlets to talk about what is happening in Jerusalem in general and at al-Aqsa in particular,” al-Safadi told Jerusalem Story in a conversation on his rooftop. “This expulsion aims to intimidate journalists and other Palestinian Jerusalemites and prevent them from documenting the violations, and to allow the settlers to continue violating the sanctity of al-Aqsa Mosque every day in an unprecedented manner.”

Al-Safadi described the violations in more detail: “The settlers sing and shout obscenely loudly while they worship, surrounded and protected by police and special forces who are violent against any Palestinian—man, woman, elderly, or child—who crosses the path of the settlers, even by chance.” He paused. “This has become a daily scene at al-Aqsa. Palestinians are beaten first and expelled later.”

As he was speaking, he received a text message on his phone. He looked at it and said: “See? While they are expelling worshippers and the elderly from al-Aqsa, they are allowing extremist Jews to bring prayer books into al-Aqsa in a deliberate escalation. This is not allowed.”

After a deep sigh, al-Safadi pointed toward al-Aqsa Mosque and said that the decision to ban Jerusalemites is the harshest punishment: “How can you deprive a person like me, who grew up in al-Aqsa, crawled on its tiles as an infant, and studied in its schools as a child until I obtained my doctoral degree? I used to pray, fast, and play there. It is a piece of my childhood and my memories. Depriving me of al-Aqsa greatly affects my psychological state.”

“I was raised on the love of al-Aqsa, which provided us with psychological peace for worship and prayer,” he added.

When asked how he plans to deal with the ban, which will prevent him from participating in the many rituals of the holy month of Ramadan at al-Aqsa, he said without hesitation: “I will try to be as close as possible to al-Aqsa to pray and breathe its holy air. I will try to be close to the gates, and I will continue to report on al-Aqsa news. They can ban me from al-Aqsa but I will never leave the place, and I will never abandon it.”

Al-Safadi is only one of several Palestinians who have recently been banned from al-Aqsa. In a meeting with a delegation from the High Follow-Up Committee for Arab Citizens of Israel and Arab members of the Knesset, held at al-Aqsa Mosque under heavy Israeli police surveillance, Sheikh Azzam al-Khatib, head of the Waqf Council and executive director of the Islamic Waqf Department, reminded those present that three members of the Waqf Council continue to be banned from al-Aqsa Mosque. These members are:

• Sheikh Mohammad Hussein, the mufti of Jerusalem and preacher at al-Aqsa Mosque
• Sheikh Mohammad Sarandah, preacher at al-Aqsa and a judge in the Sharia Court
• Sheikh Ekrima Sabri (see Sheikh Ekrima Sabri, “Guardian of the Pulpit” of al-Aqsa Mosque, Targeted by Extremist Israeli Groups), the revered 87-year-old former mufti of Jerusalem targeted by Israeli authorities for years (see Israel Detains Muslim Spiritual Leader Sheikh Ekrima Sabri and Bans Him from Entering al-Aqsa Mosque for Six Months)3

These religious figures are only three among many who have been banned for various durations in the past year. In addition to the three council members, dozens of Waqf Department employees, including guards, have been barred simply for taking pictures of Jewish intruders or objecting to actions by some Jews who violate the sanctity of the holy site. According to reporting by Silwanic, religious figures have been targeted by repeated summonses to police stations, banning orders, and arrests. Among those targeted this year are:4

• Sheikh Mohammad Salim Mohammad Ali, chief justice
• Sheikh Iyad al-Abbasi, al-Aqsa Mosque preacher
• Sheikh Mohammad Sarandah
• Sheikh Iyad al-Abbasi

Others have been imprisoned.5

Sheikh al-Khatib emphasized that this measure is dangerous and constitutes a blatant violation of the Status Quo agreement, which protects the right to worship and the freedom to access places of worship in Jerusalem.

Israeli bannings of Palestinians from al-Aqsa Mosque typically increase before Ramadan.6 As of the time of this report, more than 60 Jerusalemites have been barred from al-Aqsa for the duration of Ramadan, a move Israeli police describe as “precautionary.” Summonses are issued to residents of all categories—elderly, teenagers, men, women. Many are recently released prisoners. Typically, individuals receive a written deportation order citing a “tangible fear of disrupting public order and security” as the reason for the ban. The orders include aerial maps showing the alleys, gates, and entrances that those being restricted are forbidden to approach.7 Summonses to appear are delivered either in person by police showing up in people’s homes at any time of the day or night, or by phone.

This year, in an unprecedented development, some residents were informed they were banned through WhatsApp messages from numbers associated with intelligence services. These messages specified the person's name, ID number, and the length of the ban. Dr. Radwan Omar, one person who received such a ban, told Silwanic, "I received a copy of the decision via WhatsApp from an unknown number linked to the occupation police. This is unprecedented, likely due to the high volume of bans and the number of individuals affected."8

Perhaps the most dangerous decision is the expulsion of Sheikh Mohammad Hussein, the mufti of Jerusalem and the Palestinian territories, and preacher at al-Aqsa Mosque for more than 40 years. Beyond his decades of service to the mosque and his importance to Palestinians, he was brutally arrested inside the mosque immediately after Friday prayers on July 25, 2025—a difficult and unforgettable sight for worshippers and Jerusalemites more broadly.9

Sheikh Hussein spoke to Jerusalem Story about being distanced from al-Aqsa Mosque, a place he knows like the palm of his hand—not only as the preacher of al-Aqsa Mosque but also as an important religious figure. He is one of the people who have worked the most in the service of the third holiest site for Muslims worldwide for over 55 years. This is why he finds it so difficult to accept the decision to ban him. He knows every stone and the story of every corner. He can easily recount the story of al-Aqsa Mosque and Jerusalem since Israel’s occupation in 1967, more than anyone else.

“The decision to expel me is arbitrary and without any reasons or justifications. All I did was speak about Gaza and criticize the silence of the Arab, Islamic, and international worlds.”10 He added that the decision “aims to keep people away from al-Aqsa, but we will remain guardians of al-Aqsa and will not back down from our role in defending it against what Israeli authorities are plotting against it.”

Israeli police had previously arrested Sheikh Hussein and Sheikh Mohammad Salim at one of the gates of al-Aqsa Mosque after Friday sermons because of their prayers for the people of Gaza. They were issued six-month banning orders.11 Sheikh Yousef Abu Sneineh, another preacher and imam of al-Aqsa Mosque, was fined NIS 5,000 ($1,520) for mentioning Gaza in his Friday sermon.12

A Jerusalemite familiar with the situation who asked not to be named told Jerusalem Story:

The ban on entering al-Aqsa Mosque extends to Muslims from other countries, especially from Turkey (see Israel Bars Access to Foreign Muslims Wanting to Perform Morning Prayer in al-Aqsa Mosque).

Last week, Israeli police prevented a Turkish woman from entering al-Aqsa Mosque. She tried several times but was told: “Turks are not allowed to enter. Go pray at Erdogan’s mosque.”14

She sat in a corner near Bab al-Majlis and cried, as she was unable to fulfill her elderly father’s request that she perform the two rak‘a (units of prayer) in al-Aqsa Mosque.

“Al-Aqsa Mosque is my first and last home, and it is the same for all of us in Jerusalem,” the Jerusalem resident, who asked not to be identified for fear of being banned, affirmed. “We were raised in it, and we will certainly raise our children and grandchildren in it and on loving it. That is why I make sure every Friday to bring my children and grandchildren with me to al-Aqsa . . . But the future does not bode well for this holy place. As we always say, may God protect Jerusalem and al-Aqsa.”