In a flagrant and deeply provocative move, Israeli occupation authorities have sealed off all entrances to the Ibrahimi Mosque in Hebron, tightening their grip on one of Islam’s most revered holy sites and escalating their campaign to Judaize Palestinian religious and historical landmarks.

The Palestinian Ministry of Awqaf and Religious Affairs condemned the act as a brazen violation of Islamic sovereignty, reporting that the occupation forces placed locks on every entrance, including the gate to the Tomb of Joseph, the room of the incense burner, the call to prayer room, and the chamber of the mosque’s custodians in the section forcefully seized by the occupation.

“This is not an isolated incident,” the Ministry warned in a statement issued Monday, “but a calculated and systematic step toward erasing the Islamic identity of the Ibrahimi Mosque and transforming it into a synagogue, where Zionist rituals are imposed by force under the protection of an occupying military.”

The Ibrahimi Mosque — a centuries-old sanctuary held sacred by Muslims — has long stood as a symbol of Palestinian resilience. Its corridors, domes, and shrines fall under the jurisdiction of the Islamic Waqf, which has been stripped of its authority through years of creeping occupation and apartheid policies.

Sheikh Moataz Abu Sneineh, Director of the Ibrahimi Mosque, affirmed that “all parts of the mosque — including every corridor, prayer niche, and shrine — are Waqf properties, under legitimate Islamic and Palestinian sovereignty.” He described the latest action as “a direct assault on religious freedom and a sacred trust that cannot be ceded or negotiated.”

The Ministry called upon the international community, including legal and humanitarian institutions, to speak out against this dangerous escalation. It warned that continued silence toward Israel’s crimes against religious sites would only encourage further violations — not only against the Ibrahimi Mosque, but across all of occupied Palestine.

The Ministry urged Palestinians, especially the people of Hebron, to respond with steadfastness and resistance, by filling the mosque with prayers, Qur’anic recitations, and acts of worship to defend its sanctity.

“This is a call to every free person in the world,” the statement concluded. “Do not allow the occupation to erase our faith, our history, and our sacred places. The Ibrahimi Mosque is not just a mosque — it is a symbol of our presence, our identity, and our unbroken will.” (ILKHA)