The residential complex in Occupied East Jerusalem’s Sawaneh neighbourhood was home to more than 100 Palestinians in 18 apartments.

Israeli forces have stormed the home of Sheikh Ekrima Sabri, a preacher at the Al Aqsa Mosque and Jerusalem’s former Grand Mufti, and marked his dwelling as an “unauthorised construction” for demolition.

The residential complex in Occupied East Jerusalem’s Sawaneh neighbourhood was home to more than 100 Palestinians in 18 apartments, Anadolu reported.

Further reports from Palestine’s Wafa news agency say that another Israeli raid and arrest operation also took place in Jerusalem’s Al-Thawri neighbourhood on Monday, with seven Palestinians arrested.

Far-right assassination target

Sabri’s home was also the target of a far-right Israeli extremists. On October 13, Middle East Eye (MEE) reported that the ‘Nazi Hunters 2023,’ a channel set up just two days after October 7, publicised Sabri’s address on their platform and called for his assassination.

Sabri was described by the far-right group as “one of the most important targets for elimination”.

Khaled Zabarqa, the head of Sabri’s legal team, told MEE that these threats against the 85-year-old preacher were especially alarming since such calls are “supported by elements within the Israeli government”.

As such, “We lack protection. Israeli law enforcement doesn’t offer any safety to us or our Palestinian leaders,” Zabarqa continued.

Dozens of Palestinians, including religious leaders, political figures, journalists, public officials and student activists, had their identities and locations maliciously shared on the telegram channel, with most of them being women, MEE added.

Protecting Al-Aqsa

Sabri is known for using his influential voice to denounce Israel’s occupation of Palestine and settler violence.

On the preservation of Al-Aqsa in the face repeated desecration by Israeli settlers, Sabri said in August that “our Palestinian people will not allow it to be harmed or touched”.

He further called on all Muslims to “protect, rebuild and defend the mosque,” Middle East Monitor reported in August.

In October, Qatar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) slammed the “the cycle of violence that will result from [Israel’s] systematic policy against the rights of the Palestinian people and their lands and holy sites.”

The statement came after dozens of Israel settlers stormed the courtyards of the mosque under Israeli police protection.

“The Ministry reiterates the firm position of the State of Qatar regarding the justice of the Palestinian cause,” MoFA’s October communique added.

The ministry emphasised that this includes “the legitimate rights of the brotherly Palestinian people, including the full right to practice their religious rituals without restrictions, and to establish their independent state on the 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital”.