Occupied Jerusalem, April 2 (Petra) -- Israeli occupation authorities continued, for the 34th consecutive day, to keep the Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied Jerusalem closed to worshippers, citing security conditions linked to the US-Israeli war on Iran.

The Jerusalem Governorate said in a statement on Thursday that Israeli police had further tightened military measures around the holy city and at the entrances to Palestinian cities and towns in the West Bank.

At the same time, groups associated with the so-called Temple group have continued to incite incursions into Al-Aqsa during the Jewish Passover holiday and to call for ritual animal sacrifices inside the compound, demanding that it be opened during the holiday period from April 2 to 9.

Meanwhile, the occupation authorities are using the state of emergency as a pretext to tighten control over Al-Aqsa, amid growing public and Jerusalemite calls for crowds to gather at the nearest points and military checkpoints surrounding the site in an effort to break the imposed siege and force its reopening.

//Petra// AO