📰 On Monday, Israeli forces detained the imam of Al-Aqsa, Sheikh Mohammed al-Abbasi, from the mosque’s courtyards without providing a reason, according to the Wafa news agency.

At the same time, Israeli forces have tightened restrictions on Muslim Palestinian access to the site during Ramadan, when hundreds of thousands typically gather for prayer.

Sheikh Ikrima Sabri, the former grand mufti of Jerusalem who is banned from entering al-Aqsa Mosque, said the measures confirm “Israel’s ambitions toward Al-Aqsa” and show it does not want Muslims to fast freely and peacefully.

He accused Israel of seeking to “disrupt Muslims’ observance of Ramadan through arbitrary actions”.

Al-Aqsa Mosque, one of Islam’s holiest sites, has stood at the centre of Israel’s decades-long occupation of Palestine.

For Palestinians and Muslims worldwide, the mosque symbolises the struggle for freedom, identity and independence.alAqsaMosquepalestine@palestine@lemmy.ml@palestine@tagpush.app