Hamas condemns Israel's arrest of Al-Aqsa Mosque preacher

By Anadolu staff

ISTANBUL (AA) - Hamas condemned on Friday Israel's arrest of Ekrima Sabri, the preacher of the Al-Aqsa Mosque, describing it as a “direct attack” on Palestinian religious authorities.

“We strongly condemn the Zionist occupation authorities' arrest of Sheikh Ekrima Sabri after he mourned the martyr Ismail Haniyeh during Friday prayer,” Hamas said in a statement.

“Arresting Sheikh Sabri is a direct assault on our scholars and religious authorities, aiming to eliminate influential national and religious leaders,” it added.

Earlier in the day, Israeli police arrested the 85-year-old preacher Sabri for mourning slain Hamas political chief Ismail Haniyeh.

Haniyeh was assassinated on Wednesday in Tehran, Iran’s capital. While Hamas and Iran blamed Israel for the killing, Tel Aviv has not confirmed or denied its responsibility.

One of Sabri’s relatives told Anadolu that the Israeli police officers stormed into his home in the occupied East Jerusalem and arrested him.

Following the Friday prayer in Al-Aqsa Mosque, Sabri led a funeral prayer in absentia for Haniyeh.

“The people of Jerusalem and the environs of Jerusalem from the pulpit of the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque mourn the martyr Ismail Haniyeh,” he said during his sermon.

Following the sermon, the Israeli police said they were probing whether the statement constituted “incitement” and that they would act accordingly.

The preacher was detained multiple times by the Israeli forces in the past and was banned from entering Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied East Jerusalem for several months.

Sabri is a staunch critic of the decades-long Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territories. He had previously held the position of mufti of Jerusalem and the Palestinian territories from 1994 to 2006.

*Witting by Mohammad Sio​​​​​​​