Israeli police have detained Sheikh Ikrama Sabri, the imam of Al-Aqsa Mosque and head of the Higher Islamic Council, following his tribute to the deceased Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh.
He was detained on Friday on suspicion of inciting terrorism after he mourned slain Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh at Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa Mosque, according to his lawyer.
Sheikh Ekrima Sabri, 85, the former grand mufti of Jerusalem and current head of the city’s Supreme Islamic Council, referred to Haniyeh as a “martyr” during his Friday sermon at the mosque in Israeli-annexed east Jerusalem. Haniyeh was killed in Tehran on Wednesday in an attack that Iran and Hamas have attributed to Israel, though Israel has not commented on his death.
Sabri is currently being held at the Al-Maskobiya police compound, facing investigation on charges of inciting terrorism due to his remarks about Haniyeh, his lawyer Hamza Qatina stated. Israeli police, who did not name Sabri, confirmed they are investigating an imam for making inciting statements and supporting terrorism during a Friday sermon.
In June, Sabri was previously charged with inciting terrorism for allegedly praising Palestinian gunmen responsible for the deaths of four Israelis, including a soldier, in October 2022. He had denounced these charges as part of a “fabricated” campaign against him.
Additionally, a young man was arrested for making inciting statements during Friday prayers, according to a police statement.
The Al-Aqsa Mosque, a site revered by Muslims as their third holiest place and a Palestinian national symbol, is also considered by Jews as the Temple Mount, the location of the ancient temple destroyed by the Romans in 70 AD. While Jews are permitted to visit the mosque compound, they are prohibited from praying there, a restriction increasingly violated by hardline religious nationalists. Recently, far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir mentioned he had prayed at the mosque compound, highlighting tensions surrounding access and worship at the site.
Israel captured and annexed east Jerusalem during the 1967 Arab-Israeli war, a move that remains unrecognized internationally. Palestinians view the eastern part of the city as the capital of their future state.
