Al-Aqsa preacher Sheikh Muhammad Hussein detained following sermon condemning Israeli starvation policy in Gaza
Israeli forces detained the grand mufti of Jerusalem and Palestine, Sheikh Muhammad Hussein, on Friday inside the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in occupied Jerusalem shortly after he delivered the Friday sermon, according to the Islamic Endowments Department.
The department reported that Israeli police took Sheikh Hussein into custody near the Mughrabi Gate immediately following his sermon.
Eyewitnesses said that Israeli forces stormed the mosque’s sound system room and detained Sheikh Hussein after he condemned the Israeli government’s starvation policy against the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip during his sermon.
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.
