Al Aqsa mosque closed for third day running

Al Aqsa mosque compound is still closed for the third day running by the Israeli occupation forces which have been banning Azan (Muslims' call for prayers) in an unprecedented move since 1969.

Jerusalemites have prayed in open areas which are the closest to the mosque after they have successfully reached the old gates and nearby neighborhoods.

Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said Al Aqsa mosque compound in Jerusalem’s Old City will reopen on Sunday, two days after the unprecedented closure heightened Israeli-Palestinian tensions.

Netanyahu’s office said in a statement late on Saturday that the compound will be accessible “gradually” for worshipers, visitors and tourists.

The sensitive site was shut down on Friday after three Arab citizens of Israel shot two Israeli officers dead in the Old City before fleeing to the Al Aqsa compound where they were killed by the police.

Sheikh Ikrima Sabri, the former grand Mufti of Jerusalem and Palestinian territories, said on Saturday that the closure was a “collective punishment” that affected thousands of worshipers

Source: MENA