New restrictions on the Temple Mount during Ramadan

Only children and older adults from the West Bank will be allowed into al-Aqsa Mosque on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem for the first Friday prayer of Ramadan.

This is stated by Cogat, a unit within the Israeli Ministry of Defense that works on civilian issues linked to the Gaza Strip.

Last week, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu promised that anyone who wanted to visit al-Aqsa during Ramadan would be allowed to do so, but on Sunday, when Ramadan began, only women over 40 were allowed to enter the mosque.

On Monday, Cogat head Ghassan Elian presented further restrictions: during Friday prayers, only Palestinian men over 55, women over 40 and children under 10 will be allowed in al-Aqsa Mosque. In addition, a special permit is required to enter.

Palestinians from the Israeli-occupied West Bank have largely been unable to enter Jerusalem since Hamas’ bloody attack on Israel on October 7.