OCCUPIED JERUSALEM, (Palestine Foundation Information Center), The Palestinian Ministry of Endowments and Religious Affairs said it documented 26 raids on Aqsa Mosque during August, while Israeli authorities prevented the call to prayer from being raised at the Ibrahimi Mosque in al-Khalil 155 times.
In its monthly report, the ministry said August 2026 witnessed a significant Israeli escalation, including intensified raids on Al-Aqsa Mosque and restrictions on worshipers, alongside the continued ban on the call to prayer at the Ibrahimi Mosque and attacks targeting mosques and Islamic religious sites across several governorates.
The ministry said these measures form part of an ongoing pattern of restrictions on freedom of worship and attempts to impose new realities at Islamic holy sites.
Settler raids on Aqsa Mosque
The ministry’s monthly report said Jewish settlers continued to raid Aqsa Mosque through the Moroccan Gate during morning and evening periods under heavy protection from Israeli police.
Some of the raids included the performance of Talmudic rituals and other provocative practices, including what is known as “epic prostration,” public group prayers, and the use of religious books and cloth mats in the Mosque’s courtyards, particularly around the Dome of the Rock.
The report pointed to another escalation involving the Israeli police’s recruitment of personnel for a special unit tasked guarding settlers within the Aqsa Mosque, alongside calls from rabbis encouraging people to join the unit.
Meanwhile, so-called Temple groups continued calling for intensified raids on the Mosque and for Jewish religious rituals to be permitted inside the compound.
In one of the most prominent examples of such calls, Simcha Rothman, chairman of the Israeli Knesset’s Constitution, Law and Justice Committee, demanded that settlers be allowed to raid Aqsa Mosque and publicly blow the shofar inside it.
Far-right Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir also performed rituals at the Western Wall.
Restrictions on worshipers in Occupied Jerusalem
In Occupied Jerusalem, the report documented continued restrictions imposed by Israeli occupation authorities on worshipers, particularly on Fridays.
It said Israeli police forces entered the area around the Qibli Prayer Hall and the Dome of the Rock during sermons and prayers.
The report also noted the renewal of an order banning Sheikh Mohammed Hussein, the Grand Mufti of Occupied Jerusalem and the Palestinian territories, from entering the Aqsa Mosque for six months, adding to a series of restrictions imposed on religious figures and worshipers at the Mosque.
Call to prayer banned 155 times in al-Khalil
In al-Khalil, the ministry said Israeli occupation authorities have continued preventing the call to prayer at the Ibrahimi Mosque since June 21, with the call to prayer prohibited 155 times during August alone.
The report documented the continued closure of the Mosque’s eastern entrance and the covering of its windows with tarps since the beginning of 2025, as well as the closure of Gate 7 to employees.
The ministry also reported what it described as undisclosed excavation work in the Zawiyat al-Ashraf area.
It said Israeli forces entered the Mosque wearing civilian clothing and expelled worshipers from the Ishaqiyya Prayer Hall to facilitate visits by Jewish settlers and officials, including Ben-Gvir.
The report also documented the installation of gypsum boards above the door separating the Yousufiyya and Malikiyya passageways, darkening the area, as well as the closure of the market gate while Talmudic ceremonies were held around the Mosque.
Attacks on mosques and Islamic sites
According to the report, the violations were not limited to Aqsa and the Ibrahimi mosques but also affected mosques and Islamic religious sites in other West Bank governorates.
In Tulkarem, Jewish settlers raised an Israeli flag on the minaret of Abu Ubaida Mosque in Nur Shams refugee camp.
In Khirbet Tana, east of Nablus, Palestinians were prevented from reaching the al-Wali and al-Hajj Hussein mosques to perform Friday prayers.
The ministry also documented raids on Islamic religious sites in the town of Awarta, amid continued attacks targeting Islamic holy sites across the occupied West Bank.
Ministry warns of threat to status quo
The Ministry of Endowments warned of the dangers posed by the continuation of these measures, saying they violate freedom of worship and protections afforded to holy sites under international law and conventions.
It said repeated raids, restrictions on worshipers, bans on the call to prayer, and the permitting of religious practices and rituals inside Islamic holy sites threaten their historical and legal status quo.
The ministry called on the international community and human rights organizations to fulfill their responsibilities and pressure Israeli occupation authorities to halt these measures, guarantee freedom of worship and access to holy sites, and preserve their historical and legal status quo.
The report comes amid what the ministry described as escalating Israeli violations at Aqsa Mosque and the Ibrahimi Mosque. Palestinian officials warned that these practices go beyond restricting worshipers and contribute to gradual changes in the status of Islamic holy sites, imposing new realities on the ground.
