- Sheikh Hussein banned from entering Al-Aqsa Mosque until Sunday and summoned for further interrogation, says Palestinian Commission for Detainees Affairs

ANKARA

Israeli police on Friday released Sheikh Muhammad Hussein, the grand mufti of Jerusalem and Palestine, after detaining him from inside the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in the occupied East Jerusalem and keeping him in custody for several hours, according to local sources and officials.

The Islamic Endowments Department in Jerusalem confirmed that Sheikh Hussein was arrested in the mosque’s courtyard shortly after delivering the weekly Friday sermon, which condemned ongoing Israeli crimes against Palestinians from Rafah in southern Gaza to Jenin in the northern occupied West Bank.

The department reported that Israeli police took Sheikh Hussein into custody near the Mughrabi Gate immediately following his sermon.

Following his release, the Palestinian Commission for Detainees Affairs said in a statement that Sheikh Hussein has been banned from entering Al-Aqsa Mosque until Sunday and was summoned for further interrogation that same day.

Israeli authorities have not disclosed the specific charges or reasons for his arrest.

This is not the first time an Al-Aqsa preacher has been detained by Israeli authorities.

Another Friday preacher at the mosque, Sheikh Muhammad Salim, was arrested in April after referring to the Gaza war in his sermon. He was banned from the mosque for a week.

Israeli police have also repeatedly interrogated and banned Sheikh Ikrima Sabri, former grand mufti of Jerusalem, from Al-Aqsa for extended periods over the years.

Thousands of worshippers performed Friday prayers at Al-Aqsa Mosque amid heavy Israeli military measures restricting access to the site.

The official Palestinian news agency Wafa reported that Israeli forces obstructed worshippers’ entry through the Damascus and Lions’ Gate, inspected their IDs, detained several young men, and barred them from entering the mosque.

Restrictions on access to Al-Aqsa have been in place since the start of the genocidal war on Gaza on Oct. 7, 2023, with tighter controls usually imposed on Fridays.

Meanwhile, the Israeli army and illegal settlers have escalated their attacks in the occupied West Bank against Palestinians, their holy sites, and property, including in East Jerusalem, killing at least 1,006 Palestinians and injuring over 7,000.

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

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