Occupation authorities prevent Sheikh Ekrima Sabri from entering Al-Aqsa Mosque and summon him for interrogation
Israeli occupation authorities barred Sheikh Ekrima Sabri, the imam and preacher of Al-Aqsa Mosque, from entering Al-Aqsa on Friday when he tried to reach the mosque for Friday prayers. This occurred alongside a significant deployment of forces at the gates of the Old City and the mosque.
Sheikh Sabri said, "The police did not notify us of any ban, but they stopped me from entering Al-Aqsa Mosque to pray. This is an unfair and unnecessary action. We will stay at Al-Aqsa and stand with it, and I condemn the occupation's treatment of Al-Aqsa Mosque."
Sheikh Sabri's office said occupation forces prevented him from entering through the Lions Gate before the prayer. His legal team confirmed that the ban was issued without any legal justification, infringing on his right to worship.
The police issued Sheikh Sabri a summons to appear for questioning next Sunday at the Al-Qishla police station.
Sheikh Sabri is the imam and preacher of Al-Aqsa Mosque and also leads the Supreme Islamic Council in Jerusalem. This ban occurs almost two years after he was prohibited from the mosque through administrative orders, following a series of restrictions and measures imposed on him over recent years.
The Supreme Islamic Council strongly condemned the incident, calling it "illegal police aggression." They emphasized that the Israeli police have no authority over Al-Aqsa Mosque and affirmed that the ban is illegitimate.
The Council emphasized that the Islamic Endowment Department holds the authority to manage Al-Aqsa Mosque, dismissing these measures as "null and void." They also stated that these actions are being carried out "under military rule," which has, according to the statement, turned the city into a "military barracks" as part of a deliberate policy to militarize Jerusalem.
The Council affirmed that Sheikh Sabri is a religious figure in Palestine and that these measures constitute a violation of freedom of worship, given the ongoing restrictions on worshippers and their prevention from accessing Al-Aqsa Mosque, in addition to the limitations placed on the work of the Islamic Endowment Department.
In the same context, approximately 75,000 worshippers performed Friday prayers at Al-Aqsa Mosque, despite the imposed restrictions.
Police officers at the Al-Aqsa Mosque confiscated balls from children while they were playing. Officers on the Dome of the Rock roof gathered the balls and took them to the police station inside the compound, where they were destroyed.
On Friday morning, Israeli occupation forces prevented hundreds of young Palestinians from inside Israel from reaching the Al-Aqsa Mosque to perform the dawn prayer.
