Jews sanctify the site they call the Temple Mount as the site of the First and Second Temples and worship at the Western Wall, which is a remnant of the ancient complex. Muslims know it as the Noble Sanctuary, where the Prophet Muhammad is said to have ascended to heaven.
It is the holiest site in Judaism and the third holiest site in Islam. Competing claims are one of the most challenging elements of the decades-long Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Clashes here were a frequent flashpoint of war. In 2021, fighting between police and Palestinians during Ramadan sparked a two-week escalation with Hamas 50 miles away in Gaza. An Israeli police raid last spring to evacuate protesters who had locked themselves inside sparked a second round of fighting.
Hamas regularly cites protection of Al-Aqsa Mosque as justification for its attacks, including an October 7 raid on Israeli towns, where its fighters killed about 1,200 people, according to Israeli authorities, and kidnapped 253 others. The militants called it Operation Al-Aqsa Flood.
Now, in the wake of those attacks, an even more devastating war is raging in Gaza. Health officials there say the Israeli campaign against Hamas has killed more than 30,000 Gazans, and with Ramadan just days away, tensions are rising around Al-Aqsa. Hardliners in the Israeli government are seeking to limit the number, age and gender of Palestinians allowed on the plateau, sparking warnings from both sides that the restrictions could lead to violence.
This week, dozens of workers racing to prepare the mosque had no idea what to expect.
In a crowded office overlooking the compound, Azzam al-Khatib, head of the Jordanian-appointed Islamic organization that runs Al-Aqsa Mosque, read the latest rumors aloud from his phone.
“Now I see that only 10,000 to 15,000 will be allowed throughout the month,” he said.
If this report proves true, it would be a small portion of the normal Ramadan crowd, which last year totaled about 1.4 million. On one Friday, the complex hosted more than 300,000 worshipers.
The rumors surprised the surrounding employees. These restrictions contradict public assurances from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office that Israel has decided not to significantly restrict access to the mosque.
The staff said part of the problem is that Israeli officials do not speak to them directly, leaving them at the mercy of contradictory media reports.
Muhammad Al-Sharif said: “There is no contact between them and us.” “We still don't know what's going to happen.”
The holiest month in Islam begins with the sighting of the first crescent after the new moon. This year, it is expected to come on Sunday or Monday evening. For now, the staff who run Al-Aqsa Mosque from this maze of arched stone offices prepare to receive regular crowds. This means setting up dozens of medical tents in the square and organizing iftar meals after sunset to celebrate the end of the daily fast for tens of thousands of worshipers.
More than 300 volunteers, many of them Palestinian Boy Scouts, are scheduled to guide men toward the Al-Aqsa Mosque and women toward the gold-covered Dome of the Rock, day after day. Ambulances will be stationed near the Old City gates to respond to routine emergencies or acts of violence.
Israel is preparing for the worst. Police officials said they would keep about 1,000 officers deployed around the Old City during weekdays and 2,500 or more on Fridays, Holy Friday. The heavy presence was already visible outside Damascus Gate in the Old City, where police often clash with young Palestinians on Ramadan evenings.
The wartime lead-up to Ramadan revealed divisions in the Israeli government and security establishment. More conservative members of the government want to cut off access to Al-Aqsa Mosque for most Palestinians as long as more than 100 Israelis remain held hostage in Gaza.
Israeli media reported last month that Itamar Ben Gvir, the controversial national security minister who controls Israel's police, pushed through plans to largely bar worshipers from the site, citing security and hostage risks. According to reports, elderly Palestinians will be allowed to enter, but younger residents in the West Bank and Israel will be barred.
“Women and children cannot be hostages in Gaza while we allow Hamas victory celebrations on the Temple Mount,” Ben Gvir wrote on X.
Long-standing agreements with Jordan allow visits to the square but prohibit anyone but Muslims from worshiping there. Jews pray at the Western Wall. But in recent years, extremist Jewish groups have increasingly sent activists to the Al-Aqsa compound to pray, sometimes openly, which Palestinians see as a provocation.
Ben Gvir, who began his career in the extremist settlement movement seeking greater control of the Temple Mount, has made at least three visits to the square since taking charge of the police. Some Israeli officials accused him of “reckless” rhetoric that could further inflame Palestinians and the broader Arab world at a dangerous time.
“The military and intelligence specialists are telling everyone that it is not useful for us to add fuel to the fire now,” said a former military official familiar with discussions within the Cabinet. “The fire is too hot as it is.” He spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss this sensitive issue.
Netanyahu refused for several weeks to take a position on Ben Gvir's proposals. But on Tuesday, following a security cabinet meeting in which security leaders advised caution, the Prime Minister's Office announced that Israel would not impose any restrictions at the start of Ramadan but would assess conditions on a weekly basis.
His office said in a statement, “Ramadan is sacred to Muslims, and the sanctity of the Eid will be preserved this year as every year.”
Al-Khatib, the mosque's director, said his team will be ready to adapt as the month progresses.
“God willing, it will remain peaceful and Muslims from anywhere will be allowed to come to worship,” he said, using the Arabic phrase meaning “God willing.”
Whatever happens, Ramadan this year promises to be a sad one here. Normally, the area around Al-Aqsa Square was full of lights, and the narrow lanes were crowded with families buying clothes for the month and food for the nightly iftar banquets.
But on Friday, the Old City remained quiet and unadorned, the mood soured by the ongoing tragedy in Gaza.
Ammar Sidr (47 years old) works with one of the youth groups that usually decorate the entrance to Al-Aqsa with 60 Ramadan lamps and thousands of meters of electric lights.
He added: “This year we did nothing.” “Ramadan this year is sad.”
