Holy sites in Jerusalem reopen after 40 days closed due to war

Holy sites in Jerusalem reopen after 40 days closed
Holy sites in Jerusalem reopened this Thursday (9) after 40 days closed due to war restrictions imposed by Israel.
The Western Wall, the Church of the Holy Sepulcher and the Al-Aqsa Mosque returned to receiving worshipers and tourists, one day after the start of the two-week ceasefire agreed in an agreement between the Trump administration and the regime Iranian.
"I am very happy to be back at the Western Wall after 40 days, to touch the sacred stones and to be here", celebrated an 18-year-old girl to the Reuters news agency.
Jewish faithful pray at the Western Wall, Judaism's holiest prayer site, after its opening to the public
REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun
Israel ordered the closure of all holy sites in the city on the day February 28, the first day of attacks by the country and the United States' joint operation against Iran, as part of its security measures, which provoked protests from believers of the three monotheistic religions: Judaism, Christianity and Islam.
Despite being closed to visitors, during Holy Week, the Church of the Holy Sepulcher had the traditional Easter mass celebrated without the presence of the faithful by Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa.
The previous Sunday, the cardinal, who is the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, was prevented by the Israeli police from celebrating the Ramos mass and condemned the decision in a press release: "for the first time in centuries".
This Thursday, the Patriarch Greek Orthodox from Jerusalem, Theophilus III, led the Foot Washing ceremony during the Holy Week of Orthodox Easter at the church.
"It is an indescribable feeling, because our fast cannot be complete without the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. It is the place we go when we are spiritually exhausted, when we want Christ to be with us in our days. Without the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, we cannot experience the fast fully. The closing of the church was sad for us, it broke our hearts and drove us away of the place we consider the most sacred", said a believer.
Faithful gather at the Church of the Holy Sepulcher after its reopening to the public
REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun
At the Al-Aqsa Mosque, also known by Jews as Temple Mount, hundreds of Muslims gathered at dawn.
Later, the presence of Jewish faithful in the mosque complex, which had access authorized by the Israeli police, was considered provocative by those present.
Why the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem is a historic focus of tension between Jews and Muslims
Muslim worshipers at the Al-Aqsa complex, also known to Jews as the Temple Mount, in Jerusalem
REUTERS/Sinan Abu Mayzer

Source: G1