Israel revokes permits for dozens of Al-Aqsa Mosque staff 

Israeli authorities have revoked entry permits for Al-Aqsa Mosque staff from the occupied West Bank, Middle East Eye understands.

The decision is expected to affect around 30 senior employees of the Islamic Endowment in Jerusalem, known as the Waqf, a Jordanian-appointed body that administers the holy site in occupied East Jerusalem.

Palestinians say the move marks the latest in a series of escalating measures aimed at consolidating Israeli control over Al-Aqsa Mosque and reducing the Palestinian presence and role there.

According to sources familiar with the decision, who spoke to MEE on condition of anonymity, the permits will be cancelled from 1 June 2026.

The move would bar 30 long-serving Waqf employees from accessing the mosque, including senior treasurer Ayyash Abu Ayyash, who co-signs cheques alongside Waqf director Azzam al-Khatib.

The cancellations also include Waqf teachers, who are administratively and financially linked to the Palestinian Authority’s Ministry of Education but operate inside Al-Aqsa Mosque.

Ekrima Sabri, imam of Al-Aqsa Mosque and head of the Higher Islamic Council, said the decision forms part of “unprecedented actions” in recent months aimed at imposing Israeli “domination” over the site.

‘Every action taken by the occupation authorities is intended to change the status quo and pave the way for imposing Israeli sovereignty over the mosque’

– Ekrima Sabri, imam of Al-Aqsa Mosque

“Every action taken by the occupation authorities is intended to change the status quo and pave the way for imposing Israeli sovereignty over the mosque, while stripping the Islamic Waqf of its authority,” Sabri told MEE.

“In the past, we used to say Al-Aqsa was in danger, but now we say Al-Aqsa faces multiple dangers, not just one,” he added.

Omar Rajoub, director of the media office in the Jerusalem Governorate, said many of these measures began with the start of the US-Israel war on Iran in February.

Israeli forces shut Al-Aqsa Mosque for 40 days during that period in an unprecedented closure of one of Islam’s holiest sites.

Although the mosque reopened after the ceasefire in April, Rajoub said many of the restrictions introduced during the closure have remained in place.

These include preventing Waqf staff from carrying out maintenance work in the courtyards, including pruning trees and clearing vegetation.

He added that other Waqf employees have faced permit refusals and access bans at various times, with at least 30 staff members barred from the mosque this year alone, as well as around six sheikhs and imams.

Rajoub also said Israeli authorities continue to impose wide-ranging restrictions on worshippers, including the banning of 600 people this year from reaching the site. 

“The entire status quo at Al-Aqsa Mosque is rapidly deteriorating in favour of Israeli violations,” he told MEE.

Undermining the status quo 

Al-Aqsa Mosque, located in occupied East Jerusalem, is one of Islam’s holiest sites. It sits on a plateau known to Jews as the Temple Mount, the holiest site in Judaism.

For decades, the site has been governed by a “status quo”, an internationally recognised arrangement which stipulates that Al-Aqsa Mosque is an exclusively Islamic site. 

Under the arrangement, control over access, right to worship, maintenance and day-to-day management is the sole responsibility of the Islamic Waqf. 

However, Israeli authorities have long eroded the status quo and the Waqf’s authority, not least by enabling near-daily raids by ultranationalist groups, who pray and sing in the site under the protection of police. 

Earlier this week, Israeli ministers advanced plans to confiscate Palestinian-owned property near Al-Aqsa Mosque, in a move Palestinians say is aimed at “Judaising” the city. 

Ministers approved the creation of an inter-ministerial team to examine the implementation of historic expropriation orders around Chain Gate (Bab al-Silsila), a key route leading to the mosque.

It came days after Israeli ministers and MPs led mass incursions into Al-Aqsa Mosque, with one lawmaker calling for the site to be demolished and replaced with a Jewish temple. 

Israeli flags were raised and religious rituals performed during the raid, which are considered a violation of the status quo.

Israel’s control of occupied East Jerusalem is not recognised under international law, which prohibits an occupying power from making permanent changes to occupied territory or asserting sovereignty over it.