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.
Weighing in on the topic, Nizam Abu Rumoz tells The New Arab that he received his ban two weeks before Ramadan, along with his brother Ismail and sister Suad, while Fatima’s son and daughter, Alaa, were also banned just days apart.
“This is my tenth year unable to enter Al-Aqsa during Ramadan,” says Nizam, describing restrictions that have become a yearly reality for him.
This pattern extends beyond ordinary worshippers. On 18 February, Israeli forces arrested Al-Aqsa Mosque imam Sheikh Mohammed al-Abbasi, demonstrating that religious leaders are also being targeted and highlighting the escalation of settler incursions under heavy police protection.
Despite these developments, Palestinians refuse to stay at home. Nizam continues to walk each day to the nearest point he can reach — usually Bab al-Silsila Gate or al-Mujahideen Road — where he prays in the street or reads the Quran within sight of the compound walls.
“I’ll pray tarawih prayers on al-Mujahideen Road this year. I won’t give them the satisfaction of keeping me away completely,” he shares.
Like Nizam, Fatima also prays as close as she can. Each day, she goes to Bab al-Asbat Gate to pray outside, hoping proximity might restore something of what she has lost.
Israeli bans 'poison the body'
In what many have described as an unprecedented move, Israeli authorities banned 29 employees of the Al-Aqsa Mosque in a single action, including guards, custodians and maintenance workers employed by the Islamic Waqf.
"We didn’t expect them to pull us out and ban us. All the young men were shocked," says one guard, who requested anonymity for fear of further reprisals.
He describes the ban as "poisoning the body," coming just before Ramadan, when he would normally wake at 6 am to unlock the mosque gates and welcome worshippers from across Palestine who manage to reach Jerusalem despite Israeli-imposed restrictions.
The guard says this is the first mass banishment of mosque staff, noting that all 29 targeted had previous security files or prior ban orders, and adds, "They’re targeting anyone who’s been on their radar before."
According to Mohammed Mahmoud, a lawyer at the Wadi Hilweh Information Center, banishment orders are issued by administrative authorities — either Israel’s Internal Security Minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, or the Jerusalem police commander — on the pretext that the individual poses “a danger to the site and to settlers.”
Appeals submitted to Israel’s Supreme Court have been rejected under claims of security threats, he says.
"Israel doesn’t care about international laws guaranteeing freedom of worship at holy sites," Mohammed adds. "These orders are unjust and oppressive, severely affecting the banned individuals and their families. They increase during religious occasions, including Ramadan, targeting all segments of Palestinian society, particularly Jerusalemites."
In sharing this, he explains that violating a ban can lead to arrest, charges of breaching a legal order, and possible administrative detention or fines.
'A knot in my heart'
For those affected, the impact is devastating. Fatima says, “I see all of life as bitterness. Every day brings a new ache to my heart,” describing her banishment as having her soul torn from her body.
She adds, “The greatest pain for someone who guards the mosque is being kept away from it.”
Nizam expresses a similar sense of loss, having grown up in Al-Aqsa’s courtyards, learning, playing, and praying there for decades, and says, "Every day without entering is another knot in my heart."
Friday prayers are particularly difficult. Fatima says, “I see all of life as miserable that day, like we’re living under pure injustice,” adding, “I recite dhikr and read Surat al-Kahf to help my heart endure.”
Nizam recalls his daughter’s engagement last year. He insisted that her Islamic marriage contract be signed inside Al-Aqsa Mosque, even though his ban prevented him from entering.
"We went there. I stayed outside while she and her uncles went in and signed her contract in Al-Aqsa. That was the hardest moment."
In earlier statements, Sheikh Ikrima Sabri, Al-Aqsa Mosque’s preacher, said banning dozens of young men from the mosque during Ramadan, while denying permits to West Bank worshippers, was part of a policy to 'Judaise Jerusalem', besiege the mosque, and control its administration.
The Jerusalem Governorate has issued a statement warning that the orders and restrictions preventing worshippers from reaching Al-Aqsa represent “a blatant violation of the freedom of worship guaranteed by international conventions and laws, and an attempt to turn an inherent religious right into a privilege subject to security conditions imposed by the occupation authorities.”
The governorate also warned of escalating calls by extremist ‘Temple Mount’ groups to mobilise more settlers to enter Al-Aqsa’s courtyards during Ramadan, particularly in the final ten days, coinciding with the surge in banishment orders.
It described the systematic use of banishment as "a repressive tool aimed at emptying Al-Aqsa of its regular worshippers and undermining steadfastness there."
Despite the restrictions, both Fatima and Nizam say they are still determined to enter the mosque.
Asked what he would do if granted a day inside Al-Aqsa, Nizam replies quickly: “I’d walk through the courtyards, circle the Dome of the Rock, and pray there. I’d feel like a small child again, discovering the mosque.”
Fatima’s voice softens when she speaks of returning: “My soul would return to me. Al-Aqsa is my passion, my place, my home, and my birthplace. I used to leave my children when they were young and run to Al-Aqsa.”
Nizam concludes with a reflection on what the site means to him: “Al-Aqsa covers 144 dunums, and every handspan is precious to me. No matter how much anyone talks about the mosque, its importance can’t be fully described. This is where our Prophet ascended to heaven, and every handspan there is dear to us.”
Asmaa Masalmeh is a member of the Middle East Center for Journalists Network (MCJN) from Palestine and the author of the ARIJ investigation Freedom Deferred: Israel Hunts Down Its Released Prisoners
This story was published in collaboration with Egab