Arabic version: إسرائيل تغلق المسجد الإبراهيمي في الخليل أمام المصلين الفلسطينيين

According to Al Jazeera, Israeli forces closed the Ibrahimi Mosque in Hebron, in the occupied West Bank, to Palestinian worshippers as thousands of Israeli settlers gathered at the site for a Jewish religious celebration. The Palestinian Ministry of Religious Endowments said worshippers and mosque employees were barred from entering, while the call to prayer was suspended.

Mosque director Moataz Abu Sneineh told Al Jazeera that Israeli authorities planned to open the mosque’s prayer halls and courtyards exclusively to Israelis. The closure began on Friday afternoon and was due to continue until 10pm on Saturday, coinciding with an annual observance commemorating Sarah, a wife of Prophet Abraham who is traditionally believed to be buried there.

Israeli troops tightened checkpoints and restricted movement in Hebron’s Old City, where the mosque is located, preventing some residents from entering or leaving their homes. Israeli forces told The Jerusalem Post they expected about 20,000 visitors for the holiday and had deployed hundreds of security personnel.

The Ibrahimi Mosque, known to Jews as the Cave of the Patriarchs, is revered by Muslims and Jews as the burial place of Prophet Abraham and members of his family. Under the 1997 Hebron Agreement, Israel assumed security control over the Old City while Hebron’s Palestinian municipality retained planning and construction powers. In June, Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich announced a takeover of those powers. The closure followed the end of a 10-day siege of Hebron that involved hundreds of arrests, 15 home demolitions and the displacement of more than 3,300 Palestinians, Al Jazeera reported.