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Mufti barred after detention
Israeli authorities detained Jerusalem Grand Mufti Sheikh Muhammad Hussein after he delivered the Friday sermon and led prayers at the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in occupied East Jerusalem, then released him with an order barring him from entering the site for one week.
“Israel has barred the grand mufti of Jerusalem and Palestine from entering the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound for one week.”
The Jerusalem Governorate said the ban followed Hussein’s detention after Friday prayers, and Al Jazeera reported that the ban was issued for one week with the possibility of renewal.
Al Jazeera also said the governorate told it that “the arrest was carried out in order to serve him [Hussein] with an order banning him from entering Al-Aqsa Mosque for one week, with the possibility of renewal.”
In the same reporting, Al Jazeera linked the episode to escalating Israeli measures at the holy site, noting that the Palestinian Ministry of Awqaf and Religious Affairs said Israeli forces carried out 26 incursions into the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound during June and that 4,212 Israeli occupiers entered through the Mughrabi Gate during visiting hours.
Voices and competing frames
Al Jazeera reported that the Jerusalem Governorate said Hussein was arrested for the contents of his sermon, during which he prayed for mercy for Palestinians killed by Israel and relief for those held in Israeli prisons.
In a message to Al Jazeera, the Jerusalem Governorate said “This is not the first time such a measure has been taken against him,” framing the detention and ban as part of a recurring pattern.
Middle East Monitor, meanwhile, said Israeli forces detained Hussein after he delivered the Friday sermon and led prayers at Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied East Jerusalem, and it reported that authorities later released the grand mufti after issuing an order barring him from entering the mosque compound for one week.
The same Middle East Monitor report added that earlier Friday “tens of thousands of Palestinians performed Friday prayers at the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound,” placing the detention and ban against a backdrop of large attendance despite escalating Israeli actions at the holy site.
Broader Gaza war context
Al Jazeera described the Al-Aqsa episode as occurring amid the broader war context, stating that the incident came amid escalating Israeli measures in occupied Palestinian territory since the start of the genocide in Gaza in October 2023.
“More than 1,100 Palestinians have been killed in the occupied West Bank since then”
It reported that “More than 1,100 Palestinians have been killed in the occupied West Bank since then, including at least 243 children,” and it tied that toll to what rights groups say is an intensifying campaign of raids, settler violence, and expanding Israeli control.
Al Jazeera also reported that on Friday six Palestinians, including children, were injured during an attack by settlers in Huwara, Nablus, where local sources said settlers attacked a Palestinian family using pepper spray and physically beating them.
In the same reporting, Al Jazeera said Israeli forces were reportedly present and protected the settlers during the attack, and it added that Israeli forces then allegedly assaulted residents and arrested three members of the family, including 80-year-old Ibrahim Ismail al-Jabour.
