Jerusalem, 9 April, 2026 (TPS-IL) — The Jerusalem District Police said it has completed its operational preparations for the Holy Fire ceremony, held annually on Holy Saturday at Jerusalem’s Church of the Holy Sepulchre, which comes this Saturday, April 11. With the Iranian ceasefire and the changes to Israel’s national security policy and the lifting of restrictions on gatherings, the police said they will operate with “increased forces to allow freedom of worship while strictly maintaining public safety, peace and security.”
Hundreds of Police Officers and Border Police will be deployed from the early morning hours on Saturday in the Old City area in order to secure the participants, accompany the processions, and work to enable the “proper” observance of Holy Saturday in “safety and security.”
As part of the preparations, in recent weeks, meetings were held by the Command of the Jerusalem District police with the heads of the Christian communities in Jerusalem, during which they “strengthened the connection” and completed coordination with the Christian communities in their efforts and responsibilities to maintain the safety of participants inside and outside the church, in accordance with the opinion of a safety engineer, within which a maximum audience limit was set for the event, according to the area, density, emergency exits and maximum occupancy, in order to prevent the risk of crowding and overcrowding that could endanger the safety of participants.
Holy Saturday is an Eastern Orthodox holiday observed the day before the Orthodox Easter, which this year falls on Sunday, April 12.
The Holy Fire Ceremony Sees the Greek Orthodox Patriarch in Jerusalem light candles from a flame in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre and pass the fire on to candles held by masses of worshippers.