Israeli occupation police raided the home of Sheikh Ekrima Sabri, head of the Higher Islamic Council in occupied Jerusalem, on Tuesday evening and subjected him to questioning.

According to local sources, the Israeli authorities had initially planned to summon Sheikh Sabri for a hearing at the Israeli Higher Court, where a decision was expected on extending his ban from the Al-Aqsa Mosque for another six months. However, the order was unexpectedly suspended.

Despite this, Israeli police reiterated their intent to bar the 85-year-old cleric from entering the holy site, a restriction first imposed last August.

Sheikh Sabri was previously banned from Al-Aqsa following a Friday sermon in which he mourned the death of Ismail Haneyya’s son, the head of Hamas’s political bureau. Israeli authorities cited this as justification for their punitive action against the prominent religious leader.

The Hamas movement has denounced the Israeli measures against Sheikh Sabri, calling them "arbitrary" and accusing the occupation forces of seeking to punish him for his role in defending Jerusalem and Al-Aqsa Mosque from what they describe as ongoing attempts at Judaization.

Sheikh Sabri, a longtime advocate for Palestinian rights and Islamic heritage in Jerusalem, has faced repeated Israeli restrictions, including previous bans from the mosque and house arrests. His latest interrogation is part of a broader crackdown on Palestinian religious and political figures in the occupied city.

The move has sparked widespread condemnation from Palestinian and Islamic organizations, who view the Israeli actions as part of a systematic campaign to silence voices defending Al-Aqsa Mosque and resisting Israeli control over the holy site. (ILKHA)