Jerusalem's Al-Aqsa Mosque to reopen after Eid holiday

JERUSALEM

Jerusalem's Al-Aqsa Mosque will reopen to worshippers after Eid al-Fitr holiday, the authority responsible for overseeing the city's holy sites said on Tuesday.

In a statement, the Jordan-run Islamic Waqf Department said steps to reopen the site will be announced soon.

Eid al-Fitr, which marks the end of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, will start on Sunday.

The mosque was shut to worshippers late March amid the spread of the novel coronavirus in Palestinian territories.

Palestinian authorities confirmed 576 coronavirus infections, including 67 cases in East Jerusalem, where Al-Aqsa is located.

Al-Aqsa Mosque is the world's third-holiest site for Muslims. Jews call the area the Temple Mount, claiming it was the site of two Jewish temples in ancient times.

Israel occupied East Jerusalem, where Al-Aqsa is located, during the 1967 Arab-Israeli War. It annexed the entire city in 1980 in a move never recognized by the international community.

*Ahmed Asmar contributed to this report from Ankara