Over 100,000 Muslim Worshipers Gather at Al-Aqsa as Jerusalem Holy Sites Reopen Following Ceasefire

More than 100,000 Muslims performed Friday prayers at Al-Aqsa Mosque on April 10, 2026, following a 40-day closure and a newly brokered US-Iran truce.

By: AXL Media

Published: Apr 10, 2026, 1:50 PM EDT

Source: Information for this report was sourced from Agence France-Presse

The Restoration of Religious Life in the Old City

The sound of prayer returned to the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound on Friday as the Islamic Waqf reported an attendance of over 100,000 worshipers for the weekly noon service. This massive gathering followed the official reopening of Jerusalem’s holy sites on Thursday, ending a 40-day period of restricted access imposed by Israeli authorities. The closure, which began on February 28, was a direct consequence of the regional military escalation involving the United States, Israel, and Iran, which transformed the Old City into a strictly controlled security zone.

Impact of the Washington-Tehran Truce

The return of worshipers was made possible by a fragile two-week ceasefire declared by Washington and Tehran earlier this week. For over a month, the Al-Aqsa Mosque, the Western Wall, and the Church of the Holy Sepulchre remained largely inaccessible to the public as the region grappled with the fallout of U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran. The reopening is being viewed as a significant symbolic victory for regional de-escalation, allowing the local population to resume spiritual practices that had been suspended during the height of the kinetic operations.

A Shared Relief Across Faiths

Jerusalem’s Old City holds unparalleled significance as the home to the holiest sites for Islam, Judaism, and Christianity. While the Friday prayers highlighted the return of Muslim worshipers, the reopening also restores access to the Western Wall for Jewish prayer and the Church of the Holy Sepulchre for Christian pilgrims. Local residents expressed a cautious sense of hope that the diplomatic truce would hold, preventing further shuttering of the compound, which Sharif Mohammad, a 39-year-old worshiper, described as an "obligation" that holds a unique spiritual weight when performed at Islam's third-holiest shrine.