The gates leading to the holy sites of the Holy Land in Jerusalem that had been closed since    February 28, when the US-Israel-Iran war began, were opened Thursday by Israeli authorities.

The Holy Land is located in the Old City, a district of the eastern sector of Jerusalem that has been occupied and annexed by Israel: The Kotel (Wailing Wall) for Jews, the Basilica of the Holy Sepulchre for Christians, and Mosque Square for Muslims

דיווחים ערביים: מסגד אל אקצא נפתח לראשונה זה 40 יום למתפללים מוסלמים@GLZRadio pic.twitter.com/3v9U7Mlgxz

— נועם נקש || Noam Nakash (@nakash_noam) April 9, 2026

It is recalled that the government, through the Deputy Foreign Minister Yannis Loverdos, has stated that it has done everything necessary for the transfer of the Holy Light to Greece to take place. Speaking to ERTnews and the show “Connections”, Loverdos said that on Saturday morning, the aircraft will depart for Tel Aviv. The crew will remain at the airport, while a delegation will be taken by road to Jerusalem, the old city, where the Patriarchate and the Church of the Resurrection are located. From there, Mr. Loverdos, accompanied by the Patriarch and the Consul General of Greece, will enter the Church of the Resurrection, where the ceremony of the touching of the Holy Light will take place, and the Patriarch will present it to him.