JERUSALEM, July 25, 2025 (WAFA) – Israeli occupation forces briefly detained Sheikh Mohammad Hussein, the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem and Palestine, today following Friday prayers at the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in occupied Jerusalem.

According to the Islamic Waqf Department, Israeli police detained Sheikh Hussein shortly after he delivered the Friday sermon. He was taken from within the mosque courtyards and escorted to the Moroccan Gate, one of the gates leading to the Al-Aqsa compound.

Local sources reported that Israeli forces stormed the mosque's audio control room and briefly detained the Grand Mufti following a sermon in which he condemned Israel's policy of starvation against the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip. He was handed a summons to appear for questioning next Sunday.

The sources also confirmed that a special unit of Israeli police raided both the office of the mosque's chief guard and the office of the mosque's director, in conjunction with the Mufti's detention.

M.N