Israeli police banned today Aqsa Mosque guard Hamza Nimr from entering al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem for six months, according to local sources.

Israeli authorities summoned Nimr for interrogation and handed him an order banning him from entering the mosque after he opposed the entry of an Israeli police officer into Dome of the Rock, the golden dome mosque within al-Haram al-Sharif (the noble sanctuary) compound that also includes Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem’s Old City.

Jordan is in charge of the Al Aqsa Mosque compound and Jerusalem Waqf and its staff are considered Jordanian government employees.

Israeli Police Kidnap Al-Aqsa Mosque Guard
الشرطة الصهيونية تختطف احد حراس الاقصىhttps://t.co/eeTI0y0Nxk

— Amer Ayn_Ghazal (@AmerAyn_Ghazal) May 20, 2020

In the past, Nimir has already been the victim of several Israeli assaults, including beating, arrests, interrogation, and expulsion.

Jewish settlers raid Al-Aqsa Mosque on a daily basis and perform Talmudic rituals inside its yards, while the Israeli army limits access to Muslim worshippers during this time.

On March 15, the Ministry of Awqaf and Religious Affairs ordered today a closure until further notice of mosques and churches in all the governorates of Palestine, as part of ongoing efforts to curb a seemingly growing spread of novel COVID-19 (coronavirus).

(Palestine Chronicle, WAFA, Social Media)