Israel issues 7-day ban for Al-Aqsa Mosque preacher over sermon on Gaza genocide

By Abdelraouf Arnaout and Ahmed Asmar

JERUSALEM / Israel on Friday issued an entry ban for Al-Aqsa Mosque preacher Sheikh Muhammad Salim for seven days over his Friday sermon on the Israeli genocide in Gaza.

Sources told Anadolu that the Israeli police arrested Sheikh Muhammad from one of the mosque's gates and interrogated him at a police center in occupied East Jerusalem. He was later released.

During the Friday sermon, Sheikh Muhammad condemned the Israeli war on Gaza, which has killed nearly 51,000 Palestinians and rendered the enclave almost uninhabitable.

An official from the Islamic Endowment Department official, which oversees Al-Aqsa Mosque, told Anadolu that the ban could be extended by the Israeli authorities.

In the past, Israeli authorities have banned the entry of Al Aqsa Mosque's Sheikh Ekrima Sabri due to his vocal defense of the mosque and criticism of Israeli occupation policies against Palestinians.