Palestinians face growing Al-Aqsa bans as Israel narrows Waqf authority

Palestinian monitors report more than 1,000 Israeli exclusion orders barring Palestinians from Al-Aqsa and the Old City in 2026, including a ban on preacher Ekrima Sabri until April 2027. Jewish activists are increasingly allowed to pray on the compound under police protection, and Waqf guard numbers have reportedly fallen from about 50 to fewer than 15 per shift. These claims come largely from Palestinian officials, and Israeli authorities had not responded. They show pressure on the long-standing arrangements at the Temple Mount, a site central to Scripture's expectations for Jerusalem.