TPC Staff
The Palestine Chronicle / August 12, 2026
Israel closed the Ibrahimi Mosque to Palestinian worshippers as resistance groups warned against escalating Judaization, violence by Jewish settlers and forced displacement.
Ibrahimi Mosque closed to Palestinian worshippers
Israeli occupation forces closed the Ibrahimi Mosque in the Old City of Al-Khalil [Hebron] to Palestinian worshippers on Wednesday morning, prompting condemnation from Hamas and the Palestinian Ministry of Religious Endowments.
Local sources said Israeli authorities justified the closure on the grounds of Jewish holidays, barring Palestinians from entering the mosque while facilitating settler access to the site.
Hamas warned of “grave consequences,” describing the measure as a direct assault on freedom of worship and a flagrant violation of the sanctity of Islamic holy sites.
The movement said the closure forms part of what it described as the Israeli government’s systematic campaign against Palestinians and their land, aimed at accelerating annexation and Judaization.
Hamas stressed that the Ibrahimi Mosque is an integral part of the religious, national and historical identity of the Palestinian people and the broader Islamic world.
It said Israeli attempts to divide the mosque or impose control over it confer neither legitimate rights nor sovereignty over the site.
The movement called on Palestinians in Al-Khalil and throughout the occupied West Bank to strengthen their presence around the mosque and confront Israeli restrictions, Judaization policies and attacks against holy sites.
It also urged Arab and Islamic countries to take immediate action against Israeli measures targeting the Ibrahimi Mosque, Al-Aqsa Mosque and other Islamic holy sites.
Awqaf condemns closure
The Palestinian Ministry of Religious Endowments and Affairs also condemned the closure, describing it as a violation of freedom of worship and the sanctity of the mosque.
The ministry said repeated closures, restrictions on worshippers and prevention of the Islamic call to prayer form part of a broader effort to alter the character and status of the Old City of Al-Khalil.
According to the ministry, Israeli occupation forces prevented the call to prayer at the Ibrahimi Mosque 155 times in July alone, while at least 195 Israeli soldiers entered the site during the same month.
Israeli occupation authorities transferred administrative control over parts of the mosque from the Palestinian-run Al-Khalil municipality to a religious council affiliated with the illegal Kiryat Arba Jewish settlement in July 2025, marking a significant change to the site’s longstanding arrangements.
Restrictions have intensified further during periods of regional escalation. The mosque was completely closed to Palestinian worshippers for six days during the February war on Iran and for 14 consecutive days earlier that month.
Qusra faces intensifying settler attacks
The developments in Al-Khalil came as Palestinian resistance committees issued a separate call for Palestinians to mobilize in support of residents of Qusra, south of Nablus, amid continued settler attacks.
The committees urged residents of Qusra and neighbouring towns and villages “to stand in a united front alongside the families facing the ongoing siege and continuous assaults by the settlers.”
They called for a stronger Palestinian presence around the town to protect residents and reinforce their ability to remain on their land.
“The heinous crimes and aggression against our people in Qusra are a new attempt to impose forced displacement, intimidate the residents, and push them to leave their land and homes,” the statement said.
The committees argued that the attacks form part of broader efforts to depopulate Palestinian areas and establish new realities on the ground.
They praised the “steadfastness, resilience, and courage of the people of Qusra” and called for strengthening local protection committees and popular solidarity networks in communities facing settler violence.
“Our Palestinian people, who have proven their steadfastness and resilience in the face of the Zionist enemy and all forms of aggression, will not allow the settlers to impose an equation of displacement and intimidation,” the statement concluded.
“Our land will remain for its people, and steadfastness will remain the hallmark of confronting all projects of uprooting and displacement.”
(TPC, Al Mayadeen, Palestinian Awqaf)
