Al-Aqsa to reopen at dawn Thursday after 40-day closure

By Tahani Elghazaly
Published April 8, 2026

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The Islamic Waqf in Jerusalem announced on Wednesday evening, April 8, 2026 that Al-Aqsa Mosque would reopen to worshippers starting with dawn prayers on Thursday, April 9, without limits on numbers, ending a 40-day closure. The move comes at a highly sensitive religious and political moment after weeks of tight security restrictions.

Available reporting shows the closure had been in place since February 28 amid the war with Iran, and it affected other major religious sites in Jerusalem’s Old City as well. Reuters previously reported that Israeli police had closed the holy sites in the Old City to worshippers because of safety concerns and the difficulty of emergency access in the area.

The reopening also follows signs that restrictions on public gatherings in Jerusalem were being eased, with police preparing to reopen holy sites for prayer and public gatherings on Thursday morning. That gives the move significance beyond access to one mosque alone, as it signals a broader shift in the security posture that shaped the Old City during a period overlapping Ramadan, Passover, and Holy Week.