According to the ministry, the closure entails the suspension of prayers and the call to prayer within the religious site, as Israeli authorities prepare the premises for the entry of settlers during the celebrations.

The Palestinian Ministry denounced the measure as a violation of freedom of worship and the right of Muslims to practice their religious rites, maintaining that the Ibrahimi Mosque is a site of Islamic worship.

It also warned of the consequences of measures aimed—as it claimed—at imposing a temporal and spatial division of the site, and held Israeli authorities responsible for the repercussions of these policies.

The ministry called on the international community, humanitarian and human rights organizations, and UNESCO to intervene by demanding an end to the restrictions and the protection of religious freedom at holy sites.

The Jewish holiday season began with Rosh Hashanah on September 12 and 13, continued with Yom Kippur on September 21 and 22, and is proceeding with Sukkot, running from September 26 to October 2. The celebrations will conclude with Simchat Torah on October 3.

The Ibrahimi Mosque is located in the Old City of Hebron, an area under Israeli control. According to Palestinian sources, approximately 400 Israeli settlers live there, protected by military forces. In 1994, the site was partitioned after Israeli settler Baruch Goldstein killed 29 Palestinian worshippers during prayers.

  Since then, Israeli authorities have maintained separate access restrictions for Muslims and Jews.

  Under Israeli regulations, the mosque remains closed to Muslims on certain days during Jewish holidays and to Jewish worshippers on days coinciding with Islamic observances.

  Palestinian authorities maintain that restrictions have intensified since the start of the war in Gaza on October 7, 2023, and denounce the fact that Muslim access to the site during religious holidays has not been fully restored.

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