JERUSALEM, April 5, 2026 (WAFA) – The Jerusalem Governorate reported that this year’s Jewish Passover saw seven documented attempts to bring animal “Passover sacrifices” into Al-Aqsa Mosque, marking the highest number recorded since 1967.
The Governorate stated in a brief statement issued on Sunday evening that colonists, in two separate attempts, managed to bring the sacrifice to the Old City of occupied Jerusalem.
It had previously warned of attempts by groups of colonists to bring animal sacrifices into the Old City, characterizing the acts as an escalatory measure intended to impose new colonial religious rituals during the Jewish Passover, amid the ongoing Israeli occupation closure of Al-Aqsa Mosque, now entering its 37th consecutive day.
The Governorate emphasized that these attempts represent the height of exploiting religious rituals as a colonial tool to Judaize Al-Aqsa Mosque, aiming to designate it as the site of the alleged Temple by slaughtering a lamb or goat within its compound, serving as a symbolic precursor to the physical establishment of the Temple across the entire mosque, according to the Torah narrative.
It added that “Temple” organizations are exploiting the unprecedented ongoing closure of Al-Aqsa Mosque to conduct intensive propaganda campaigns via their official platforms, employing AI-generated images and videos to mobilize their extremist audience and enforce the sacrifice ritual by force.
The Jerusalem Governorate called for urgent action at both local and international levels to halt attempts to impose animal sacrifices and enforce Judaization measures in Al-Aqsa Mosque, ensure the protection of holy sites from any attempts to undermine their Islamic identity and status, and lift the closure of Al-Aqsa Mosque.
Israeli occupation authorities continue to close Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Church of the Holy Sepulchre for the 37th consecutive day, citing a “state of emergency” and security conditions.
Israeli occupation authorities are exploiting the pretext of a “state of emergency” and security conditions to reinforce their control over Al-Aqsa Mosque, at a time when popular and Jerusalemite calls are escalating to gather at the nearest points and surrounding military checkpoints, in an attempt to break the imposed siege and compel its reopening.
For the ninth time since 1967, the Israeli occupation closed Al-Aqsa Mosque on a Friday, leaving its courtyards, prayer halls, and corridors largely empty of worshippers, except for a small number of staff from the Islamic Waqf Department. Friday, April 3, marked the fifth consecutive Friday of closure.
T.R.
