Israel has closed the Ibrahimi Mosque in the West Bank

The move was taken by Tel Aviv mainly to allow illegal settlers to celebrate a Jewish religious festival.

Aref Jaber, a member of the Hebron Defense Committee and a local resident, told Anadolu Agency that the curfew has been in force in various parts of the old city since Friday morning. He said Israeli forces have also shut down the military checkpoints leading into the old city and completely restricted movement.
 

As a result, many Palestinian residents could not return to their homes and were forced to spend the night at the houses of relatives in other parts of Hebron. According to Jaber, hundreds of illegal settlers entered the old city on Friday night and Saturday morning under heavy military protection and took out “provocative” marches through the streets.
 

He said the curfew is essentially part of Israel’s attempt to fully seize the rest of the Ibrahimi Mosque and convert it into a synagogue.
 

The Palestinian Ministry of Religious Affairs reported that since the beginning of 2025, Israeli authorities have kept the mosque’s Souk Gate closed every day, as well as its main eastern gate, and even covered the windows.
 

The Ibrahimi Mosque is located in Hebron’s old city and is now entirely under Israeli control. Around 400 illegal settlers live there, protected by nearly 1,500 Israeli soldiers.
 

After an illegal settler killed 29 Palestinian worshippers in 1994, Israel divided the mosque into two sections 63 percent allocated for Jewish worship and 37 percent for Muslims. The section reserved for Jews also includes the room from which the call to prayer (adhan) is given.
 

Under Israel’s unilateral arrangement, the mosque remains completely closed to Muslims for 10 days each year during Jewish religious festivals, while it remains closed to Jews for 10 days during major Islamic festivals.
 

However, since the Gaza war began in October 2023, the full access previously allotted to Muslims has not been maintained.