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

For more than two years, Sheikh Ekrima Sabri has been barred from occupied East Jerusalem's Al-Aqsa Mosque, unable to pray or deliver sermons at the holy site.

Key points

• According to the Palestinian Authority's Jerusalem Governorate, almost 28, 000 visits by Israeli settlers were recorded at Al-Aqsa between July and September.
• The restrictions began after Israeli police detained Sabri in August 2024 over a sermon in which he mourned the Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh.
• Al-Aqsa Mosque has seen an escalation in Israeli restrictions and violations throughout 2026.
• Ma'rouf al-Rifai, an adviser to the Jerusalem Governorate, informed Al Jazeera that during recent Jewish holidays, Israeli restrictions on Muslim worshippers had intensified.
• Sabri, one of the most prominent Palestinians in East Jerusalem, has faced repeated Israeli interrogations.

And with his latest exclusion order extending the ban until April 2027, the Palestinian preacher – the head of the Higher Islamic Council in Jerusalem – is among those facing Israeli restrictions at the site – the third holiest in Islam and a Palestinian national symbol.

Sabri has faced repeated exclusion orders since August 2024. The latest order, issued on October 20, prevents Sabri from praying or delivering sermons at Al-Aqsa until April 2027.

Meanwhile, far-right Jewish religious activists have increasingly been allowed to pray at the site under Israeli police protection, going against a longstanding status quo and opposition from ultra-Orthodox Jewish religious authorities.

For context, the restrictions began after Israeli police detained Sabri in August 2024 over a sermon in which he mourned the Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh. This person was assassinated by Israel.

Palestinians say this is part of a campaign against them at Al-Aqsa. The Wadi Hilweh Information Center, a Palestinian human rights monitoring group, notes Israeli authorities have issued more than 1, 000 exclusion orders barring Palestinians from Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Old City since the beginning of 2026, including against religious figures and Islamic Waqf employees.

For context, the centre documented an rise in exclusion orders ahead of Jewish holidays, documenting more than 40 issued over five days in early September.

Sabri informed Al Jazeera that the latest extension was the fifth time Israeli authorities have issued an exclusion order against him.

He described the decision as unjust, illegal, inhumane and uncivilised, saying it was intended to silence those speaking out regarding Al-Aqsa.

According to Sabri, he would continue defending Al-Aqsa despite the restrictions, describing the mosque as an integral part of his Islamic faith.

"These measures are aimed at diminishing the Palestinian presence at the mosque, while simultaneously allowing settlers to carry out incursions in large numbers, " Sabri remarked. "Such actions represent an aggressive policy targeting the Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Islamic presence within it."

Ibrahim al-Natsheh was published by Israeli police earlier this month after spending a week in detention after he was arrested while attending funeral prayers for his cousin at Al-Aqsa Mosque.

He informed Al Jazeera that officers took him to a police room and handed him a six-month exclusion order barring him from East Jerusalem's Old City. He remarked no specific charge was brought against him.

According to al-Natsheh, the order warns that he could face arrest and further penalties, including a fine or imprisonment, if he enters the prohibited area.

Al-Natsheh remarked he has received so numerous exclusion orders that he has lost count. After an Israeli crackdown on Islamic study circles at the mosque, he remarked the restrictions began concerning nine years ago.

Palestinian students, teachers and activists associated with the activities have faced arrests and exclusion orders.

"The orders banning us from the mosque provide no specific reason; they simply cite 'disturbing the peace', even though we are there solely to pray, " al-Natsheh informed Al Jazeera. "Ahead of the Jewish holidays, they sent a message to me and a group of other worshippers, warning us not to approach the mosque or else we will be arrested."

Even when he is not subject to a formal exclusion order, al-Natsheh remarked, Israeli police have prevented him from entering Al-Aqsa. He additionally alleged that officers have repeatedly arrested him at Al-Aqsa's gates and severely beaten him while in detention.

"The path to the mosque has become incredibly difficult; it is swarming with soldiers and settlers, " he remarked. "We are denied the ability to reach it with any ease, and if we try, we face arrest and beatings with batons. It is deeply painful to witness what is happening to Al-Aqsa now."

Al Jazeera has reached out to Israeli authorities for comment, but has yet to receive a response.

After the United States and Israel introduced their war on Iran on February 28, Israeli authorities closed Al-Aqsa to most worshippers for 40 days, reopening the compound on April 9.

Meanwhile, according to the Palestinian Authority's Jerusalem Governorate, almost 28, 000 visits by Israeli settlers were recorded at Al-Aqsa between July and September.

These measures included closing the mosque for periods of time, preventing noon prayers on at least one occasion, and restricting access for residents of the Old City during visits to the site by Israeli settlers and Jewish religious activists.

Al-Rifai remarked the Islamic Waqf Department faces mounting constraints on its role in managing the mosque's affairs.

He remarked Israeli police have prevented Waqf office-holders from accompanying Jewish groups when they entered the site, curtailed the authority of mosque guards, and arrested or barred a number of employees from the compound.

Consequently, he remarked, fewer than 15 guards are now on duty during the morning shift, compared with approximately 50 previously.

He observed that the closure of the mosque for 40 days during the war with Iran took place without consulting the Waqf or providing prior notification. It he stated demonstrated the Waqf's diminishing role in the mosque's administration.

"Settler incursions have undergone a shift over the past three years; they now include Jewish prayers and religious rituals, the raising of Israeli flags, and attempts to bring in sacrificial offerings, " al-Rifai remarked.

These changes have undermined longstanding arrangements at the compound, under which the Waqf manages Muslim religious affairs while Israeli police oversee security and access.

According to al-Rifai, Israeli authorities have prevented the Waqf from carrying out restoration work at the Bab al-Rahma prayer hall and restricted maintenance of the compound's trees and gardens. He remarked the committee responsible for restoration work at Al-Aqsa has been unable to carry out its duties for years.

He cautioned of efforts to alter the status quo at Al-Aqsa Mosque, pointing to a number of proposals and developments, including demands to allow Jewish visitors into the compound on Saturdays, intends advanced by Israeli politicians to divide access to parts of the site between Muslims and Jews, and an Israeli police recruitment drive for volunteers tasked with escorting Israeli incursions at the site.

Al-Rifai remarked these developments represented a further erosion of the Waqf's authority and cautioned that they could eventually transform the arrangements governing worship and access at the holy site.

Taken together, the developments around palestinians face growing bans from Al-Aqsa as Israel tightens control point to a situation that is still moving, and the coming days should bring more clarity.