Palestinians pray in street after Israeli authorities close al-Aqsa mosque

Hundreds of Muslims gathered outside the walls of the Old City in occupied East Jerusalem for Eid al-Fitr prayers on Friday after al-Aqsa mosque was closed by Israeli authorities. Subscribe to Guardian News on YouTube ► https://www.youtube.com/user/guardianwires?sub_confirmation=1 Israel said the closure was part of security measures linked to the country's escalating war with Iran, but Palestinians said the move was part of a wider Israeli strategy to leverage security tensions to tighten restrictions and entrench control over Jerusalem’s most sensitive holy site ‘The saddest day for Muslim worshippers in Jerusalem’: al-Aqsa mosque closed at Eid ► https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/mar/20/the-saddest-day-for-muslim-worshippers-in-jerusalem-al-aqsa-mosque-closed-at-eid The Guardian publishes independent journalism, made possible by supporters. Contribute to The Guardian today ► https://support.theguardian.com/ Sign up to the Guardian's free new daily newsletter, First Edition ► http://theguardian.com/first-edition Website ► https://www.theguardian.com Facebook ►https://www.facebook.com/theguardian Instagram ► https://instagram.com/guardian Bluesky ► https://bsky.app/profile/theguardian.com The Guardian on YouTube: The Guardian ► https://www.youtube.com/@theguardian Guardian Australia ► https://www.youtube.com/@guardianaustralia Football Weekly podcast ► https://www.youtube.com/@footballweeklypodcast Guardian Football ► https://www.youtube.com/@guardianfootball Guardian Sport ► https://www.youtube.com/@guardiansport It's Complicated ► https://www.youtube.com/@itscomplicated Guardian Live ► https://www.youtube.com/@guardianlive #eid #palestine #alaqsamosque #israel #eidalfitr