Israeli intelligence questions Al-Aqsa Mosque's imam
Israeli police stand in front of Muslim women praying in front of the Dome of the Rock as a group of Jewish people visit the Temple Mount at Al-Aqasa Mosque complex in occupied East Jerusalem, Palestine, April 20, 2022. (AFP File Photo)


Israel's intelligence service summoned Sheikh Ekrema Sabri, the imam of Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied East Jerusalem, for questioning on Monday, according to his family.

A family member, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said Israeli forces raided Sabri's home in the al-Suwaneh neighborhood in East Jerusalem.

"He was summoned for questioning without specifying the reasons," he told Anadolu Agency.

There was no comment from the Israeli authorities on the report.

Sabri is a staunch critic of the decadeslong Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territories and was arrested several times by Israeli forces.

He previously held the position of the Mufti of Jerusalem and the Palestinian territories from 1994 until 2006.

For Muslims, Al-Aqsa represents the world's third holiest site. Jews, for their part, refer to the area as the "Temple Mount," claiming it had been the site of two Jewish temples in ancient times.

Israel occupied East Jerusalem, where Al-Aqsa is located, during the 1967 Arab-Israeli War. It annexed the entire city in 1980, which was never recognized by the international community.