Why Israel Fears Supplications for Gaza at Al-Aqsa Mosque

As Israel wages its systematic campaign of starvation and mass killing in Gaza, much of the world remains transfixed by the horrors unfolding there. But while global attention is fixed on Gaza’s agony, the Israeli occupation is quietly escalating its aggression elsewhere in Palestine—particularly in Al-Aqsa Mosque—to change realities on the ground before the world notices.

Among the most dangerous developments is Israel’s latest move: banning any mention of “Gaza”—in sermons, public prayers, or even personal supplications—within Al-Aqsa Mosque.

This step, implemented in late April, signals Israel’s accelerated campaign to alter the status quo at Al-Aqsa. Exploiting the trauma caused by the genocide in Gaza, the occupation continues its long-term strategy of eroding Islamic control over the mosque—moving from shadow influence to full domination.

A Slow Erosion of Sovereignty

Over the past two decades, and especially in the last two years, Israel has worked systematically to undermine the authority of the Islamic Waqf (Endowment) over Al-Aqsa. By the end of 2023, Israel had essentially positioned itself as a co-administrator of the mosque—no longer merely an occupier, but a de facto authority asserting sovereignty over Islam’s third holiest site.

While Israel’s direct intervention has escalated, official Arab and Islamic responses have remained passive, often justifying their silence under the pretext of avoiding confrontation. But history has shown that concessions only embolden the occupier.

For example, in 2003, after the Waqf banned non-Muslims from entering Al-Aqsa, Israel unilaterally opened the Moroccan Gate, allowing settlers and tourists to enter—without Waqf coordination. The response? Mere verbal protests.

By 2010, Israel began banning known Muslim activists from Al-Aqsa. Then, in 2019, it even barred Sheikh Abdul Azim Salhab, the highest-ranking Islamic official in Jerusalem. Today, many mosque guards and caretakers are banned simply for objecting to settler intrusions.

From Visitor to Worshipper

In the past, Israeli settlers entered Al-Aqsa as tourists and were escorted closely. Any act of prayer resulted in removal. But slowly, under the silence of local and international bodies, settlers gained ground.

By 2015, after the Jerusalem Uprising, Israel pushed for “time-based division”—barring Muslims from the mosque during settler storming hours. In 2022, this expanded to blocking Muslim access during all non-prayer hours.

The turning point came when John Kerry announced in 2015 that “Muslims have the right to pray at Al-Aqsa, and Jews have the right to visit.” This dangerous framing transformed “trespassing” into a “right,” giving Zionist settlers unprecedented legitimacy.

By mid-2023, a Likud Knesset member proposed dividing Al-Aqsa spatially between Muslims and Jews—turning a settler dream into parliamentary discourse.

Exploiting Gaza’s Bloodshed

During the current Gaza war, one might have expected Israel to slow its provocations at Al-Aqsa. Instead, Itamar Ben Gvir, Israel’s far-right National Security Minister, has aggressively advanced settler rituals inside the mosque. Now, Jewish prayer is no longer hidden—it’s openly performed, with state approval.

Even worse, Israel has begun interfering with who counts as a Muslim. Recently, non-Palestinian Muslims—such as British and Canadian citizens—were barred from entering for prayer, labeled “tourists” who must enter outside Muslim hours.

Now, Israel is no longer stopping at who may pray, but dictating what can be said in prayer. Orders have been sent to the Islamic Waqf to ban any mention of Gaza in sermons or supplications during Friday prayers. This isn’t just political interference—it is blatant intrusion into the core of Islamic worship.

A Shameful Silence

Despite official objections, the response has been alarmingly compliant. For three consecutive Fridays, Gaza has not been named at Al-Aqsa—not in sermons, not in prayers. Imams resorted to vague, coded language, while Israel threatened fines of up to $1,500 and bans against any khateeb who mentioned Gaza.

Rather than standing firm, some justified silence to “avoid escalation.” But this logic is deeply flawed. It isolates Al-Aqsa from the larger occupation, reducing it to a passive religious venue instead of a symbol of resistance.

Al-Aqsa is not a local mosque to be governed by fear of inconvenience. It is the spiritual twin of the Haramain, sacred to all Muslims globally. To treat it like any other mosque is to abdicate our collective responsibility.

History’s Lesson: Resistance Works

We’ve seen before what happens when Muslims push back. In 1967, Sheikh Abdul Hamid al-Sayeh rejected Israeli interference, famously declaring “No prayer under the bayonets!” That stance led to pushing the occupation out of mosque administration.

If we remain silent now, Israel will soon dictate the content and structure of prayer itself, inching closer to permanent spatial division.

Al-Aqsa Is the Heart of the Struggle

Banning prayers for Gaza is not a minor policy—it’s an attempt to remove Al-Aqsa from the current resistance equation, to fragment the unity of Palestinian identity and cut Gaza off from the rest of the land, spiritually and emotionally.

But history proves otherwise: from the Al-Aqsa Intifada (2000) to the Al-Aqsa Flood (2023), the mosque has always been the ignition point of Palestinian resistance.

The only viable response is escalation. What if all imams refused to lead Friday prayers? What if the Waqf declared a prayer strike in protest of these violations?

This approach worked before:

• • In 2017, Jerusalemites and Waqf officials refused to enter through metal detectors, forcing their removal.

• • In 2019, the Gate of Mercy was reopened after public defiance.

Without such escalation, Al-Aqsa’s fate will be that of the Maghariba Gate and the adjacent police station—lost to Zionist control.

The Bare Minimum

To pray for Gaza by name is the minimum moral obligation after this betrayal. This is not a symbolic issue—it is existential. If we surrender again, Al-Aqsa will break, and there may be no return.

So let us name Gaza, even if it sparks a crisis. If the price of dua is tension in Jerusalem—so be it.

We have already compromised far too much.