Jerusalem Sheikh Abdel Azim Salhab, chairman of the Wakf Council, dies age 79

Israel Police arrested Sheikh Abdel Azim Salhab in 2019 after riots at the Al-Aqsa Mosque.

Sheikh Abdel Azim Salhab, chairman of the Wakf Council, died on Thursday night, according to Palestinian media reports and statements from Palestinian terror groups.

The Jerusalem Waqf Islamic religious trust was instituted by Jordan after Israel’s War of Independence and is best known for controlling and managing the current Islamic edifices on and around the Temple Mount.

Salhab was previously arrested by Israeli forces in 2019 after riots saw thousands of Palestinians storm the Golden Gates, which were closed by court order since 2023. He was later released, though banned from entering the Al-Aqsa Mosque for 40 days.

Salhab personally reopened the gate leading into the Bab al-Rahmeh mosque, according to Reuters, which led to hundreds entering the zone.

Palestinian Authority-run media WAFA reported that police raided the home of Salhab and a fellow Wakf official in the middle of the night.

In response to the arrest and subsequent ban, members of Jerusalem’s Muslim community took over and converted a 1,500-year-old structure near the Golden Gate (known as Shaar Harachamim in Hebrew) into a mosque.

Mourning Jerusalem Sheikh Abdel Azim Salhab

Mourning “one of the pillars of Jerusalem,” the Hamas terror group put in a statement that Salhab died after “a life dedicated to serving and defending the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque and the city of Jerusalem.”

“He consistently stood against the Judaization policies and repeated violations against Al-Aqsa Mosque, and he faithfully and courageously shouldered the responsibility of protecting the Islamic Waqf,” the terror group stated.

Khaled Abu Toameh and Maayan Jaffe-Hoffman contributed to this report.