Hamas has strongly condemned the closure of the Ibrahimi Mosque in Hebron’s Old City by Israeli occupation forces, warning that restricting Palestinian worshippers while facilitating Israeli settler access to the site represents a serious escalation against Islamic holy places.

Israeli forces closed the mosque to Palestinian worshippers on Wednesday morning, citing Jewish holidays as the justification for the measure. Local sources said Palestinians were prevented from entering the mosque while settlers were allowed access.

In a statement, Hamas warned of “grave consequences,” describing the closure as a direct assault on the freedom of worship and a flagrant violation of the sanctity of Islamic holy sites.

Hamas said the closure should not be viewed as an isolated measure, but as part of what it described as a systematic Israeli campaign against the Palestinian people and their land.

According to the movement, the policies targeting the Ibrahimi Mosque are aimed at advancing annexation and Judaization efforts in Hebron while imposing new realities at one of Islam’s important holy sites.

Hamas stressed that the Ibrahimi Mosque is an inseparable part of the religious, national and historical identity of the Palestinian people, as well as the wider Islamic world.

The movement rejected any Israeli attempt to divide the mosque or impose unilateral control over it, emphasizing that such measures do not create legitimate rights or sovereignty over the site.

Hamas called on Palestinians in Hebron and across the occupied West Bank to strengthen their presence around the Ibrahimi Mosque and confront what it described as Israeli restrictions, Judaization policies and attacks against Islamic holy sites.

The movement also called on Arab and Islamic countries to take immediate action against Israeli measures targeting the Ibrahimi Mosque, Al-Aqsa Mosque and other Islamic sanctuaries.

Hamas said the international community must not remain silent as restrictions on Palestinian worshippers continue to intensify.

The Palestinian Ministry of Religious Endowments and Religious Affairs separately condemned the closure, saying repeated restrictions on worshippers and interruptions to the Islamic call to prayer were part of broader efforts to alter the character and status of Hebron’s Old City.

According to the ministry, Israeli occupation forces prevented the call to prayer at the Ibrahimi Mosque 155 times in July, while at least 195 Israeli soldiers entered the site during the same month.

The ministry also cited changes to administrative arrangements at parts of the mosque, saying Israeli authorities transferred control from the Palestinian-run Hebron municipality to a religious council affiliated with the Kiryat Arba settlement in July 2025.

Hamas has repeatedly warned that such measures, together with restrictions on Palestinian worshippers and increased settler access, could further undermine the longstanding status of the Ibrahimi Mosque and deepen efforts to impose Israeli control over the site. (ILKHA)