40,000 Worshipers perform Friday prayers at Al-Aqsa mosque as Israeli forces arrest its preacher


https://saba.ye/en/news3526497.htm

Yemen News Agency SABA
40,000 Worshipers perform Friday prayers at Al-Aqsa mosque as Israeli forces arrest its preacher
[01/ August/2025]
Occupied Quds – Saba:
Tens of thousands of Palestinians performed Friday prayers at the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque, despite Israeli occupation forces’ restrictions in and around the Old City of occupied Jerusalem and the mosque compound.

According to the Islamic Waqf Department in Jerusalem, around 40,000 worshipers attended the Friday prayers at Al-Aqsa Mosque, including the absentee prayer for the souls of martyrs from Gaza and the West Bank.

Israeli occupation forces arrested the preacher of Al-Aqsa Mosque and Chief Islamic Justice in Al-Quds, Sheikh Iyad Abbasi, as he exited through Bab al-Silsila—one of the mosque’s gates—after he referred to Gaza during his sermon. He was later released.

Israeli police continue to target Al-Aqsa preachers with arrests and forced removals.

Last Friday, occupation forces arrested Al-Quds' Grand Mufti, Sheikh Mohammad Hussein, after the Friday sermon. He was later released but banned from entering the mosque for a week, with the ban subject to renewal.

Additionally, Israeli forces forced Jerusalemite guardian Nitham Abu Ramouz out of the Old City and prevented him from praying at the Mujahideen Road near Bab al-Asbat (Lion’s Gate).

Occupation forces also stopped several young men around the Old City, checked their IDs, and prevented others from reaching Al-Aqsa Mosque to perform the Friday prayer.