Authorities have banned Sheikh Muhammad Salim from preaching at the Al-Aqsa Mosque after he criticised Israel’s war on Gaza.

By Abdullahi Yusuf

Israel has banned Al-Aqsa Mosque preacher Sheikh Muhammad Salim from entering the compound for a week after he condemned Israel’s war on Gaza during his Friday sermon.

Israeli police officers arrested and interrogated Sheikh Salim at a police station in occupied East Jerusalem after Friday prayers, witnesses told Turkish news agency Anadolu.

The Israelis have made no comment on the reasons for his arrest and the decision to ban him from the site.

During his Friday sermon, Sheikh Muhammad criticised the Israeli government for its brutal assault on Gaza.

Israeli forces have killed almost 51,000 people in Gaza in their 18-month war against the Palestinian enclave.