Israeli occupation forces have once again closed Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem, barring Muslim worshippers from entering the sacred site “until further notice,” according to a report by Middle East Monitor on Sunday morning.

Eyewitnesses stated that access to the mosque was restricted exclusively to employees, maintenance workers, and security personnel, in accordance with orders from the Israeli Home Front Command. This full closure follows a previous restriction just three days earlier, when authorities limited the number of worshippers to 500 at a time.

Al-Aqsa was initially closed on June 13, coinciding with the launch of Israel’s military operations against Iran.

On Saturday evening, Israeli police carried out extensive raids across all prayer halls within the mosque compound, including the Civil Status Office (responsible for Al-Aqsa’s guards) as well as the fire department located in the courtyard of the Dome of the Rock. During the raids, police reportedly destroyed property and desecrated the mosque by throwing copies of the Quran onto the ground under the pretext of inspecting Quran storage rooms.

Four Al-Aqsa guards were detained during the raid and later released after interrogation. All four have been banned from entering the mosque for one week, with the restriction subject to extension.

In response, the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization in the United States, condemned the renewed closure of Al-Aqsa. CAIR called the action an assault on Islam and a violation of Palestinian religious rights, urging the U.S. government and Muslim-majority countries to pressure Israel to lift the ban immediately.