Heartbreak in Jerusalem: Israel bars Palestinians from Al-Aqsa Mosque as holy month of Ramadan begins
Female worshippers perform Tarawih prayers on the first night of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan near the Dome of the Rock at the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in the Old City of Jerusalem on 17 February 2026
Asmaa Masalmeh reports in The New Arab on 18 February 2026:
Fatima Khader, 71, calls herself “a daughter of Jerusalem.” She grew up praying in the courtyards of Al-Aqsa Mosque, celebrating religious occasions under its arches, and believed she would spend her final years there. Instead, Israeli authorities have again banned her from the compound, declaring her “a danger to the site.”
This is Fatima’s second consecutive Ramadan barred from Al-Aqsa; the first time, she was banned for seven months and ten days, and on the day the ban ended, she went to the mosque for the Night Journey (Al-Israa wal Miraj) anniversary, only for officers to arrest her and issue another seven-month ban.
That night, she had prepared maamoul pastries and sweets to distribute in the mosque courtyards for the souls of martyrs and deceased Muslims, a tradition marking the Prophet Muhammad’s night journey to Jerusalem. Before she could finish two prayer cycles or hand out her offerings, Israeli officers surrounded her.
When they asked how she had entered despite her previous ban, she replied sarcastically, “I came in a helicopter,” adding that they then escorted her to the Western Wall area and handed her the expulsion order.
‘I won’t give them the satisfaction’
Fatima is among more than 250 Palestinians who have received banishment orders from Al-Aqsa Mosque since the start of 2026, which arrive without warning, either delivered in person or sent via WhatsApp messages. Bahaa Barakat, spokesman for the Jerusalem Governorate, estimates that 30% of banned Jerusalemites do not report their orders for fear of harassment, arrest, or extended bans.
The surge marks an escalation in what observers describe as a years-long pattern. In 2024, the Wadi Hilweh Information Center documented more than 400 banishment orders targeting Palestinians in Jerusalem, from the mosque, the Old City, specific neighbourhoods, or the entire West Bank.
That said, monthly records for 2025 showed between 20 and 60 orders issued each month, projecting a total of 300 to 600 for the year, and with 250 orders already issued in the first six weeks of 2026, this year is on pace to surpass both previous totals.