Israel seals Hebron with 106 iron gates, seeks full control of Ibrahimi Mosque: Governor

Israel has sealed Hebron with 106 iron gates and seeks to impose full control over the Ibrahimi Mosque in the southern West Bank city, a Palestinian governor said on Tuesday.

Hebron Governor Khaled Dodin told a press conference that Israeli authorities have blocked 16 roads and entrances to the governorate with earth mounds.

Dodin condemned the ongoing Israeli work on the roof of the Ibrahimi Mosque, saying Israel has continued construction works for a second consecutive day as part of “a plan aimed at imposing a new reality that would enable it to seize control of the site.”

He accused Israel of seeking to impose full control over the mosque through successive measures, including control over electricity panels and water facilities.

“They have also prevented the call to prayer at the mosque for the past 10 days,” he said.

Dodin said the Hebron governorate, in coordination with local institutions, has prepared a plan to strengthen Palestinian presence inside the mosque and its courtyards, while pursuing international pressure to halt the Israeli measures.

Recently, Israeli authorities stripped Hebron Municipality of powers related to managing and regulating certain works at the mosque and transferred them to the Kiryat Arba settlement.

Palestinian authorities rejected the move, saying it targets the historical and legal status of the mosque.

Located in Hebron’s Old City under Israeli control, the mosque lies in an area where around 400 Israeli occupiers live under the protection of roughly 1,500 Israeli soldiers.

Following the 1994 massacre, in which an Israeli occupier killed 29 Palestinian worshippers, the mosque was divided, with 63% allocated to Jews and 37% to Muslims.

The mosque was previously opened fully to Muslim worshippers during specific religious occasions, including Eid al-Fitrand Eid al-Adha, but access has faced growing restrictions in recent years.

Dodin said the targeting of the Ibrahimi Mosque comes as part of broader Israeli violations against Palestinians and their property in the occupied West Bank, including killings, arrests, displacement, home demolitions, land bulldozing, and illegal settlement expansion.

He also said more than 20 new settlement outposts had been established across the governorate.

The governor said local authorities documented 763 attacks by Israeli occupiers against Palestinians.

Since Oct. 8, 2023, Israeli escalation by the army and occupiers in the West Bank has killed 1,173 Palestinians, wounded 12,666, led to the arrest of about 23,000 and displaced 33,000, according to official Palestinian figures.

*Writing by Rania Abushamala in Istanbul.