Occupation bans 3 Jerusalemites from Al-Aqsa, 800 decisions since start of year

Israeli occupation authorities on Tuesday banned three Jerusalemites from the Al-Aqsa Mosque for six months, as the number of expulsion orders from Jerusalem and Al-Aqsa has exceeded 800 since the beginning of this year. The orders were delivered to Youssef al-Rashq from Silwan, and Suhaib Afana and Nassim Khalil Hamada from Sur Baher via WhatsApp. These measures are part of the occupation's escalation against Jerusalemites coinciding with the approach of Jewish holidays.

Israeli occupation authorities on Tuesday, September 15, 2026, banned three Jerusalemites from the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque for six months. Expulsion orders were delivered to Youssef al-Rashq from the town of Silwan, and Suhaib Afana and Nassim Khalil Hamada from the town of Sur Baher, via WhatsApp, and were accompanied by maps specifying the prohibited areas, including all corridors and entrances of Al-Aqsa Mosque. These measures come as the number of expulsion orders from Jerusalem and Al-Aqsa has exceeded 800 since the beginning of this year, according to the Jerusalem Governorate's announcement on September 6. The governorate counted 15 expulsion orders from Al-Aqsa Mosque in the first six days of September alone, warning of an acceleration in issuing these orders coinciding with the approach of Jewish holidays, which typically see an increase in settler incursions. Human rights advocates view the repetition of expulsion orders, especially when targeting the same individuals for months, as transforming them from an exceptional measure into a systematic means of restricting Palestinian presence in Al-Aqsa, raising concerns about entrenching a new reality within the mosque by reducing the number of its worshippers.