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The Al-Aqsa Mosque compound reopened for dawn prayer on Thursday after being closed during the Iran war, while Israeli police lifted restrictions on holy sites in Jerusalem's Old City that had limited access for Muslim, Christian and Jewish worshippers during the conflict.
Jerusalem's Islamic Waqf, the Jordanian religious authority that administers the compound, said the site reopened with morning prayers. Worshippers gathered at the holy site in the early hours after Israeli authorities lifted restrictions that had remained in place for weeks.
The reopening came after a 40-day closure, according to the text.
Israeli police said Wednesday that restrictions on all holy sites in Jerusalem's Old City would be lifted starting Thursday morning.
Police also said hundreds of officers and volunteers would be active across the city.
During the conflict, access to Muslim, Christian and Jewish holy sites had either been fully prohibited or limited to only a few dozen worshippers.
The restrictions were imposed during a period when missile attacks from Iran frequently sent Jerusalem residents into shelters.
The restrictions dampened religious observances during Ramadan, Lent and Passover at some of the holiest sites for followers of Islam, Christianity and Judaism.
The easing of the restrictions came in time for Orthodox Christians, who are set to celebrate Easter, or Pascha, on Sunday, one week after Catholic and Protestant observances.
The reopening of Al-Aqsa and the lifting of wider restrictions marked the resumption of worship at Jerusalem's holy sites after weeks in which the war had sharply limited access.
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