Israeli Forces Intensify Restrictions at Al-Aqsa Ibrahimi Mosques
According to a report issued Tuesday by the Palestinian Ministry of Awqaf and Religious Affairs, Al-Aqsa Mosque was stormed 26 times throughout the month. The ministry said pressure on the holy site increased as extremist Jewish groups called for more frequent visits to the compound.
The ministry also reported a rise in Jewish religious rituals inside Al-Aqsa, including public prayers and what it described as “epic prostration.”
Al-Aqsa Mosque is considered Islam’s third-holiest site. The compound is also regarded as sacred by Jews, who refer to it as the Temple Mount and associate the location with two ancient Jewish temples.
Under the established historical and legal status quo, the Jerusalem Islamic Waqf, affiliated with Jordan’s Ministry of Awqaf, administers Al-Aqsa as a Muslim place of worship.
Israeli police have permitted settlers to enter the compound through the Mughrabi Gate under security protection since 2003, despite repeated Palestinian and Jordanian calls for an end to such incursions.
The Palestinian ministry also highlighted restrictions imposed at the Ibrahimi Mosque in Hebron, saying Israeli authorities prevented the Muslim call to prayer 150 times during September.
“At the Ibrahimi Mosque in Hebron, Israeli authorities prevented the call to prayer 150 times during September,” the ministry said, adding that restrictions on certain prayer times had remained in place for 100 consecutive days.
“The mosque was also completely closed for six days under the pretext of Jewish holidays, while its eastern gate remained shut and its windows covered with barriers, measures in place since the beginning of 2025,” the ministry said.
The Ibrahimi Mosque stands in the Old City of Hebron, where hundreds of Israeli settlers live under the protection of Israeli forces. The ministry said around 400 settlers reside in the area, which is guarded by approximately 1,500 Israeli soldiers.
The mosque was divided in 1994 following the killing of 29 Palestinian worshippers by a Jewish settler in a massacre at the site. Under the division, 63% of the mosque was allocated for Jewish worshippers and 37% for Muslims.
The ministry also reported a series of attacks against mosques elsewhere in the occupied West Bank. It said settlers set fire to the Imad al-Din Zengi Mosque in Nablus and painted racist slogans on its walls.
“Israeli forces also demolished the Al-Duwaysat prayer hall in the Al-Jiftlik area of Jericho province,” the ministry added.
The ministry described the reported incidents as a “dangerous escalation” and urged the international community, human rights organizations and humanitarian groups to take steps to protect Islamic holy sites.
It also called for the preservation of the historical and legal arrangements governing the sites, amid continued restrictions and reported incidents affecting Muslim worshippers across occupied Jerusalem and the West Bank.
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