The legal office of Al-Aqsa Mosque's Imam Sheikh Ikrama Sabri stated on Friday that his arrest by Israeli forces "was carried out in a manner that did not respect his status and age." Sabri (85 years old) is being investigated by Israeli police on suspicion of "incitement," following his eulogy for Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh during the Friday sermon.
A statement from the office of the Imam of Al-Aqsa Mosque read: "We hold the Israeli government fully responsible for the safety and health of Sheikh Ikrama." Sabri's Friday sermon at Al-Aqsa Mosque led to anger among Israeli officials after he mourned Haniyeh, who was assassinated in Tehran on Wednesday. A video clip has circulated in recent hours showing Sabri eulogizing Haniyeh during the Friday sermon, amidst the takbirs of worshippers in Al-Aqsa Mosque.
Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir has called for an investigation against Sabri. The far-right minister stated on "X": "The order to investigate the suspicion of incitement falls within the powers of the public prosecutor, therefore after the dangerous incitement speech by Sheikh Ikrama in the Al-Aqsa Mosque, the police have been directed to consider opening an investigation against him." He added: "I hope that the attorney general, who is trying to open an investigation against me for incitement against the people of Gaza, acts with the same firmness against a Sheikh who incites the killing of Jews at the Temple Mount (the name Israeli officials use for Al-Aqsa Mosque)."
Former Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman also commented: "Sheikh Ikrama Sabri is a supporter of terrorism who operates from the holiest place for the Jewish people." He continued: "Ikrama stands with the mass murderer Ismail Haniyeh, who is directly responsible for the massacre of October 7, and whose hands are stained with blood." Lieberman called on "the Israeli police to arrest Sabri today on charges of inciting terrorism, and to create a deterrent both inside Israel and outside."
