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Israeli police will maintain a round-the-clock presence at the al-Aqsa Mosque compound throughout Ramadan, as authorities impose a raft of new restrictions expected to sharply reduce the number of Palestinian worshippers at Islam's third-holiest site during its most sacred month.
Senior Israeli police officer Arad Braverman said on Tuesday that forces would be stationed "day and night" across the compound and surrounding areas of occupied East al-Quds, with thousands of additional officers mobilized for Friday prayers, which consistently draw the largest congregations.
Braverman said police had recommended issuing 10,000 permits for Palestinians from the occupied West Bank, who are required to obtain special authorization to enter al-Quds. But the Palestinian al-Quds Governorate said it had been notified that entry would once again be limited to men over 55 and women over 50, replicating restrictions imposed last year. Israeli authorities have also decided to bar dozens of young Palestinians from entering the compound entirely during the holy month.
The measures are expected to significantly reduce attendance compared to previous years. During Ramadan, hundreds of thousands of Palestinians typically converge on the al-Aqsa Mosque in East al-Quds, which Israel captured in the 1967 war and later annexed, a move not recognized by most of the international community.
Israeli authorities have also moved to curtail the work of the Islamic Waqf, the Jordanian-administered body responsible for managing the al-Aqsa compound. The al-Quds Governorate said authorities had prevented the Waqf from carrying out routine preparations for Ramadan, including installing shade structures and setting up temporary medical clinics for worshippers.
A Waqf source confirmed the restrictions and said 33 of its employees had been barred from entering the compound in the week leading up to Ramadan, further hampering the body's ability to manage the site during the anticipated surge in worshippers.
The Waqf's custodial role over the compound is rooted in arrangements dating back decades. Jordan has administered Islamic and Christian holy sites in al-Quds since 1924, a role reaffirmed in the 1994 peace treaty between Jordan and Israel.
The restrictions were compounded on Monday evening when Israeli forces arrested the imam of al-Aqsa Mosque, Sheikh Mohammed al-Abbasi, from inside the mosque's courtyards. The Palestinian news agency WAFA reported that forces detained Sheikh al-Abbasi without providing any reason.
Hours before his arrest, Israeli authorities had barred the imam from entering the compound for one week, with the order subject to renewal. Sheikh al-Abbasi said he was not informed of the reason for the ban, describing the move as deeply distressing, particularly after recently returning to his duties following a year-long recovery from a serious car accident.
WAFA said the arrest came "amid escalating Israeli measures against the blessed al-Aqsa Mosque, including restrictions on imams, preachers and worshippers."
Palestinian activists have called for urgent action to protect Islamic holy sites, warning that the accumulating restrictions are aimed at reshaping the city's Islamic identity. Palestinians have also sharply condemned ongoing incursions by extremist Israeli ministers and members of the Knesset into the al-Aqsa compound.
Hamas urged the international community, the United Nations, the Arab League, and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation to take "deterrent" measures against what it called "Judaization, displacement, and annexation projects led by the fascist occupation regime."
The tensions echo broader concerns raised by the United Nations, which has previously condemned proposals by far-right Israeli minister Itamar Ben Gvir regarding the al-Aqsa compound as "highly counterproductive."
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