Israel Lifts Restrictions at Jerusalem Holy Sites Following Ceasefire with Iran

Jerusalem's police announced on Wednesday that they would lift restrictions on all holy sites and deploy hundreds of officers and volunteers in the city. The restrictions had been imposed throughout the war with Iran, which lasted nearly six weeks and involved missile attacks that sent residents into shelters.

Access to Christian, Jewish, and Muslim sites had been prohibited or limited to a few dozen people at a time during the conflict.

Worshippers resumed prayers at the sites on Thursday. The Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, administered by the Jordanian religious authority known as the Islamic Waqf, reopened for dawn prayer. At the adjacent Western Wall in the Old City, dozens of men and women prayed.

The lifting of restrictions occurs ahead of Orthodox Christian Easter on Sunday, which follows Catholic and Protestant Easter by one week.

On Saturday, thousands of Christians are expected to gather in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, a 12th-century basilica built on the site where tradition holds Jesus was crucified and buried. Participants will hold unlit candles as the Greek patriarch lights a flame that is passed among them in the Holy Fire ceremony.

The restrictions affected celebrations of Lent, Passover, and Ramadan at these sites, which are among the holiest for Christianity, Islam, and Judaism.

Last month, Israeli police prevented Catholic leaders from entering the Church of the Holy Sepulchre for a private Palm Sunday Mass, an event that had not occurred in centuries. The incident drew criticism from the United States and other countries.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that there was no malicious intent and that Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa was initially barred due to safety concerns.