Palestinians face growing bans from Al-Aqsa as Israel tightens control

Palestinians in occupied East Jerusalem are facing an increasing number of restrictions and exclusion orders barring them from the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, according to monitoring groups and affected residents. The measures, which have escalated throughout 2026, target prominent religious figures, Islamic Waqf employees, teachers, students, and ordinary worshippers at Islam's third-holiest site.

Sheikh Ekrima Sabri, head of the Higher Islamic Council in Jerusalem, has been barred from the mosque for over two years and now faces an exclusion order extended until April 2027. The latest order prevents him from praying or delivering sermons at the site. Sabri has faced repeated restrictions since August 2024, following a police detention over a sermon where he mourned assassinated Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh. Sabri described the decision as unjust, illegal, and intended to silence those speaking out about the mosque, adding that the measures aim to diminish the Palestinian presence while allowing large numbers of settlers to enter.

Israeli restrictions are sharply escalating at Al-Aqsa Mosque amid rising exclusion orders.

Human rights monitors report that thousands of Palestinians have been barred from entering the Old City and the holy compound. The Wadi Hilweh Information Center stated that more than 1,000 exclusion orders have been issued since the beginning of 2026. Another resident, Ibrahim al-Natsheh, described receiving a six-month ban from the Old City following a week in detention after being arrested while attending funeral prayers. Al-Natsheh stated that authorities provide no specific reasons for the bans other than citing general disturbances to the peace.

Concurrently, far-right Jewish religious activists have been permitted to pray at the compound under police protection, departing from a longstanding status quo. The Palestinian Authority's Jerusalem Governorate recorded nearly 28,000 visits by Israeli settlers between July and September, with restrictions on Muslim worshippers intensifying during recent holidays. Additionally, the compound was closed to most worshippers for a 40-day period following the start of the war on Iran.