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Amid Iran war, Israel seals off Al-Aqsa Mosque in unprecedented move
19 June 2025 07:33 BST
Throughout his life, Dr Mustafa Abu Sway has always performed congregational prayers at Al-Aqsa Mosque alongside thousands of worshippers.
Even during Covid-19 pandemic closures, dozens were still permitted to pray at the mosque, one of Islam’s holiest sites, located in Jerusalem’s Old City.
But this week, for the first time in his life, he found himself praying alone within the vast 144,000-square-metre complex.
“Even the guard wasn’t there,” Abu Sway, a member of the Islamic Waqf Council in Jerusalem, told Middle East Eye. “I was completely alone.”
The Islamic Waqf, or religious endowment, is a Jordanian-appointed organisation overseeing the management of Al-Aqsa Mosque.
Read more: Amid Iran war, Israel seals off Al-Aqsa Mosque in unprecedented move
