JERUSALEM, February 16, 2026 (WAFA) – The Jerusalem Governorate stated that Israeli occupation authorities are preventing the implementation of logistical arrangements intended to facilitate the reception of worshippers at Al-Aqsa Mosque during the holy month of Ramadan.
According to the Governorate, more than 250 ban orders have been issued this year barring individuals from entering the holy compound, a move it characterized as part of a broader effort to impose unilateral measures that undermine the site’s historic and legal status quo.
The Governorate stressed that all Israeli measures in Jerusalem and against its Islamic and Christian holy sites are null, void, and illegitimate under international law and relevant international resolutions.
In a statement issued Monday, the Jerusalem Governorate added that Israeli authorities continue to restrict employees of the Islamic Waqf Department, having banned around 25 staff members and detained four of them, in what it described as an effort to undermine the department’s capacity to administer Al-Aqsa Mosque and oversee religious activities.
The Israeli authorities are also preventing the Islamic Waqf Department from carrying out Ramadan preparations, including the installation of sun and rain shelters, the establishment of temporary field clinics, and other essential logistical arrangements aimed at ensuring the smooth and orderly performance of worship at Al-Aqsa Mosque.
In a further escalation, the so-called extremist religious “Temple Mount School” announced the extension of the morning incursion hours at Al-Aqsa Mosque, to run from 6:30 a.m. until 11:30 a.m., adding an extra hour to the usual period of incursions.
This comes just one week after the “Temple organizations” sent an urgent letter to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, demanding the guarantee of Israeli sovereignty and freedom of worship for Jews on the “Temple Mount” during the month of Ramadan.
At the same time, Israeli police postponed a decision regarding colonists’ visits during the last ten days of Ramadan, pending an assessment of reactions to the measures implemented at the beginning of the month.
According to data documented by the Governorate, the occupation’s Ramadan plan includes imposing strict restrictions on the entry of Palestinians from West Bank governorates into Jerusalem, particularly on Fridays, limiting attendance to no more than 10,000 worshippers. The measures also include age restrictions, allowing only men over 55 and women over 50 to enter, subject to prior permits.
The Jerusalem Governorate stated that these measures constitute another phase in a systematic policy of restrictions, calling on Palestinians—especially those from within the 1948 territories—to continue visiting and maintaining a presence at Al-Aqsa Mosque in support of Jerusalem and its residents.
It also urged the international community to intervene effectively to halt what it described as provocative policies, emphasizing that history demonstrates continued escalation when international responses are weak, and calling for decisive international action to safeguard Al-Aqsa Mosque’s legal and historic status quo and to preserve stability in Jerusalem.
T.R.
