Sheikh Ekrima Sabri, the preacher of Al-Aqsa Mosque, stated that the continued closure of the sacred mosque by the Israeli occupation constitutes a blatant violation of its sanctity and is a “strange and abnormal” act.

He added that the closure of Al-Aqsa means depriving thousands of Muslims from performing prayers there, while allowing settlers to storm and desecrate it.

Sheikh Sabri stressed that the occupation is attempting to impose a new reality at Al-Aqsa by asserting its “sovereignty” over the site, stripping the Islamic Waqf Department of its administrative authority, and restricting the mosque’s guards. He called on Muslims and the residents of Jerusalem to continue flocking to Al-Aqsa, regardless of the Israeli restrictions or difficult circumstances, in order to protect and defend it from the occupation’s schemes.

It is worth noting that the mosque has been closed for 12 days under the pretext of "security concerns."