Sheikh Sabri calls for support for Al-Quds, warns of Israeli plans targeting Al-Aqsa
Sheikh Ekrima Sabri, preacher of the Al-Aqsa Mosque, has called on Arab and Muslim nations and their leaders to support Al-Quds and assume responsibility for protecting Al-Aqsa, warning that the Zionist regime’s government led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is implementing what he described as an aggressive plan targeting the holy site.
In press remarks, Sabri said Zionist regime’s authorities have decided to bar dozens of young Palestinians from entering the Mosque during the upcoming month of Ramadan and to deny any facilitation for worshippers coming from the West Bank.
He warned that these measures are expected to significantly reduce the number of worshippers compared to previous years.
Sabri said the policies form part of broader efforts to Judaize Al-Quds, tighten control over the Mosque, and assert administrative authority over it, pointing in particular to intensified measures in Silwan, south of Al-Aqsa, and Sheikh Jarrah to the north.
He also warned that extremist settler groups have publicly called for expanded incursions into the Mosque’s compound and for conducting overt prayers inside its courtyards, including the use of ritual instruments and symbolic prostration practices. Sabri said such demands reflect deeper ambitions regarding the site.
According to the Palestine Information Center “Muta,” 12,136 Zionist settlers entered the Al-Aqsa compound during January 2026 alone, including Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, who visited the site on 13 January.
Sabri further described Israeli home demolitions in Al-Quds as a continuation of discriminatory policies dating back to the British Mandate period.
He said recent expulsion orders barring Al-Quds residents from Al-Aqsa aim to empty the Mosque of regular worshippers while facilitating settler incursions.
Al-Quds activists continue to call for urgent action to defend Al-Aqsa and Islamic holy sites, warning that daily Israeli measures are intended to alter the city’s Arab and Islamic identity.