Palestinians in Jerusalem describe 2026 as the year of sorrow. With Israel’s closure of al-Aqsa Mosque and the Church of the Holy Sepulchre since the start of the US-Israeli war on Iran on February 28, 2026, the month of March has been particularly somber in the city. Ramadan, normally eagerly anticipated by Jerusalemites every year, has felt grim.

This year, and for the first time since it occupied East Jerusalem in 1967, Israel has closed off the entire 144 dunums of al-Haram al-Sharif for the majority of Ramadan, including the last 10 days of the holy month, which are of great importance for worshippers. For the third week in a row, Palestinian Muslims are prevented from accessing any of the compound’s mosques, religious schools, and stretches of verdant spaces where those fasting carry out i‘tikaf, a form of secluded spiritual meditation.

Sheikh Mazen Ahram could not contain himself when he began speaking to Jerusalem Story about the closure of al-Aqsa Mosque for more than half of the month of Ramadan. The extreme measure included the closure of the Alawiyya Shadhiliyya Zawiya, located on the northern side of the Dome of the Rock. Sheikh Ahram used to meet with worshippers and give them religious lessons in Islamic jurisprudence and sermons at this zawiya, which dates back to the Mamluk and Ayyubid periods.

Sheikh Ahram’s great-grandfather, Hajj Daoud Ahram, used to seclude himself in it during the last 10 days of Ramadan. “Oh, my sorrow for the sad, lonely al-Aqsa,” Sheikh Ahram began. “The month has ended, and we feel grief that we will never forget, because we were unable to be a part of al-Aqsa in this blessed month.”1

He described the importance of al-Aqsa Mosque to worshippers and students of Islamic studies alike: “The people of Jerusalem are accustomed to filling the mosque during this blessed month with remembrance of God, recitation of the Quran, and gatherings of knowledge that revive the soul.” He noted that throughout history, al-Aqsa Mosque has been a center for a range of religious activities, especially during the month of Ramadan, which Muslims yearn for.

“These activities include obligatory prayers, tarawih prayers, and i‘tikaf, particularly during the last 10 days. Therefore, I urge all those who cherish this place to persevere in patience and prayer for the return to al-Aqsa,” Sheikh Ahram concluded. He added that he felt apprehensive about Israeli intentions on the mosque.

Since the start of the war, Israel has imposed a ban on nonresidents from entering the Old City, yet Jews are still allowed entry, demonstrating clear discrimination against Palestinians while using the war as a pretext. Israeli authorities insist that they are closing all holy sites in the Old City because of the danger posed to them by Iranian missile fire. But many Palestinians wonder why mosques outside the Old City are open to worshippers: there, the Israeli government is allowing gatherings of up to 50 people.

Sheikh Abdul Rahman Musa, a 67-year-old resident of the al-Qirami neighborhood of the Old City, said that Israeli police check his ID every time he enters the Old City, while Orthodox Jews pass through freely, even with exchanges of the greeting “shalom.”

“Look at the Old City, it has been destroyed economically and socially,” Sheikh Musa began.2 “I cannot invite the rest of my family to have breakfast with me, because their address is not in the Old City.” He continued:

He then walked toward the Damascus Gate and disappeared into a crowd waiting to have their IDs checked by soldiers to allow them access to their homes.

In this profoundly sad scene for every Jerusalemite, the Old City’s residents have become strangers to it. Nothing is certain these days, not even prayers in al-Aqsa Mosque.

No one knows what tomorrow holds for Jerusalem and its people.

Jerusalemites are not the only ones skeptical of Israel’s intentions behind the extreme closures. On Wednesday, March 11, Jordan, among a coalition of eight Arab and Muslim states—the United Arab Emirates, Indonesia, Pakistan, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Egypt—condemned the continued closure of al-Aqsa Mosque.3 Jordan’s official foreign ministry spokesperson, Ambassador Fouad al-Majali, called the measure a flagrant violation of international law, international humanitarian law, and the historical Status Quo agreement, which includes the right to unimpeded access to places of worship. Al-Majali reaffirmed Jordan’s rejection of what he described as an illegal and unjustified act.4

Building on these condemnations, the General Secretariat of the Arab League expressed deep concern that continuing measures to close al-Aqsa Mosque threaten freedom of worship and undermine the historical and legal Status Quo of Jerusalem’s holy sites.5 Separately, the general secretariats of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, the League of Arab States, and the African Union Commission issued a joint statement affirming Jerusalem’s central religious status and condemning the closures as a grave violation of international law and the Status Quo, stressing that Israel has no sovereignty over occupied Jerusalem or its sacred sites, and warning that such actions could escalate tensions and destabilize the region.6

The ongoing ban on accessing the Old City and al-Aqsa Mosque has led to a popular movement among Jerusalemites just outside the city’s gates. Palestinians in large numbers have been gathering around the Old City walls as close as they can to al-Aqsa Mosque to perform their prayers.

Asaad Mahmoud, 28, was resting near the Damascus Gate after breaking his fast when a group of Israeli soldiers approached him and told him he couldn’t sit there. They had earlier forcibly dispersed and arrested several young men who had been performing their prayers and raising a banner that read: “We will pray at the gates of al-Aqsa, or we will pray wherever we can reach al-Aqsa.”7

Mahmoud was among the worshippers forcibly removed. He told Jerusalem Story that he had committed himself to be present at the Damascus Gate or Herod’s Gate and to pray wherever he could. “As long as al-Aqsa is closed, we are here. They want to sever our connection to al-Aqsa with this closure, and we will not accept that. This closure is unprecedented, especially in the last 10 days of the holy month of Ramadan.”

Activist Nafiz Asila, a resident of the Old City, described to Jerusalem Story that this gathering of Palestinian worshippers is an important development. “What is unfolding is such a moving scene. Hundreds of worshippers, including children, performed the maghrib, ‘isha, and tarawih prayers at Bab al-Sahira [Herod’s Gate], the closest accessible point to the blocked al-Aqsa Mosque.”8

He described the scene further: “This wasn’t just an alternative to prayer; it is a moving moment of humanity—a blend of sorrow and determination. The streets are being transformed into an open mosque, the sidewalk into a prayer space, as if prayer had found its way despite the closure.”

This movement, visible on the streets of Jerusalem, has created a community of believers united by a shared sense of deprivation. Kneeling outside the walls of the Old City and raising hands in prayer is an act of silent resistance, affirming that the relationship with God cannot be severed by doors. It also sends a clear statement to Jewish extremists urging the government to exploit the emptiness of the mosque to impose its sovereignty over it: al-Aqsa is Palestinian and Arab.

At the al-Da‘wa Mosque in Beit Hanina, which welcomed worshippers on the last Friday of Ramadan, the preacher announced that “this would be the last Friday prayer held in this mosque, because it is our duty to pray together at al-Aqsa Mosque or wherever we can reach it. So, let us hasten to al-Aqsa, which calls to us.”

Palestinian lawyer Ziad Hammouri, director of the Jerusalem Center for Social and Economic Rights, described to Jerusalem Story that what is unfolding is a religious war:

Regarding praying at the gates of the Old City, Hammouri said, “We know that the Israeli police will not allow such prayers. I saw how they suppressed everyone who tried to perform the tarawih prayers at Bab al-Sahira. They want to sever any connection between Palestinians and al-Aqsa, and any connection between Muslims and Jerusalem is also unacceptable. That is why they use excessive force to prevent even praying at the gates of Jerusalem.”

Hammouri concluded that he is convinced that “the war on Iran is a religious war, and this is what the US vice president and some officials there have stated. If we connect the events, we will arrive at the true picture.”

Israel did not stop at closing the al-Aqsa Mosque. With Orthodox Easter less than a month away, it also closed the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. The annual events surrounding Easter week, especially Sabt al-Nur (the ceremony of the Miracle of the Holy Fire, held on the Saturday before Easter), are the highlight of the season, drawing in large numbers of worshippers. Many Palestinian Christians are expressing worry that they will not be allowed to participate in the church services this year, especially since Israeli forces have attacked and banned worshippers access to the Holy Sepulchre, including on Sabt al-Nur, in previous years (see, for example, Holy Fire Ceremony Marred by Police Restrictions, Brutality).

Archbishop of Sebastia for Jerusalem’s Greek Orthodox Church, Atallah Hanna, told Jerusalem Story that while it is a time of war, it is also a time of fasting, making the closures particularly invidious. “When people are at war, and also fasting, they turn to worship and prayer. Al-Aqsa Mosque is closed, and the Church of the Holy Sepulchre is closed.”10

The archbishop said that he understands the precautionary measures, especially since shrapnel has fallen on different parts of Jerusalem. “We understand that the security of the citizen is of utmost importance, but on the other hand, we must also remember that the citizen has the right to worship and the right to pray, whether in their mosque or their church.”

Archbishop Hanna is concerned about how long the closure will continue. “The Church of the Holy Sepulchre must be opened. We are currently in the middle of Lent; in three weeks, we have Holy Week, Palm Sunday, and Easter. We hope that the doors of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre will be opened soon, so that Christians can perform their prayers and worship.”

The archbishop also stressed that Muslims have the same right to celebrate their holidays as Christians. “Of course, opening the Church of the Holy Sepulchre and al-Aqsa Mosque does not contradict preserving people’s safety and maintaining precautionary measures. Places of worship must be opened,” he insisted, “and there must also be respect for people’s safety and lives so that they are not exposed to any harm from these missiles.”