Hamas calls for Muslim mobilization after Israeli incursion into Ibrahimi Mosque

The Hamas resistance movement has called on Arab and Muslim nations to mobilize in defense of Islamic holy sites after Israeli minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and hundreds of Israeli settlers entered the Ibrahimi Mosque in al-Khalil, calling the move a fresh escalation and an attempt to Judaize the site.

Abdel Rahman Shadid, a Hamas leader, said Ben-Gvir’s entry, accompanied by settlers and a number of rabbis, constituted an “overt violation” of the sanctity of the mosque and the sentiments of millions of Muslims.

Shadid called on Palestinians across the West Bank, particularly residents of al-Khalil Governorate, to mobilize in support of the mosque and maintain a presence there. He also urged Arab and Muslim countries and peoples to mobilize in defense of Islamic holy sites.

“The Ibrahimi Mosque will continue to preserve its authentic identity and its deeply rooted Islamic and historical status,” Shadid said, stressing that attempts to desecrate or Judaize the mosque would not alter its status.

He said Israel’s measures in al-Khalil, including turning parts of the city into a military zone and imposing restrictions on its residents, form part of broader efforts to intensify pressure on Palestinians across the occupied West Bank.

Shadid warned that continued Israeli incursions and violations would further fuel popular anger and strengthen Palestinians’ determination to defend their rights and holy sites.

Ben-Gvir stormed the Ibrahimi Mosque in al-Khalil on Tuesday, accompanied by hundreds of Israeli settlers.

It came a day after he stormed the al-Aqsa Mosque compound in occupied East al-Quds during the Jewish Sukkot holiday.

Israeli Channel 14 broadcast footage of Ben-Gvir inside the Ibrahimi Mosque. During the visit, he said arriving at the site gave him a sense of "energy and joy."

Israeli authorities had announced a day earlier that the Ibrahimi Mosque would be closed to Muslim worshippers during Sukkot.

The Palestinian Ministry of Awqaf and Religious Affairs condemned the closure, saying it barred Muslim worshippers from praying and performing religious rituals at the mosque and prevented the call to prayer.

The ministry described the mosque as an exclusively Islamic endowment and warned against continued measures aimed at imposing temporal and spatial divisions at the site.

Israel steps up Al-Khalil mosque restrictions, settler expansion

The Israeli regime imposes new measures in al-Khalil, raising concerns over the Ibrahimi Mosque and tighter restrictions in the Old City.

The Ibrahimi Mosque is located in the Old City of al-Khalil, where Israeli authorities maintain military control.

In 1994, following the massacre carried out by an Israeli settler that killed 29 Palestinian worshippers, Israel divided the mosque, allocating 63 percent of the site to Jewish worshippers and 37 percent to Muslims.

Until recently, the al-Khalil municipality, the Palestinian Ministry of Awqaf and Religious Affairs, and the al-Khalil Rehabilitation Committee managed the technical and service aspects of the mosque under a 1997 agreement.

In January, Israel transferred construction licensing powers in al-Khalil from the Palestinian municipality to the so-called Israeli Civil Administration, a step in the Zionist regime’s ongoing campaign to Judaize the city.

Palestinian officials have repeatedly condemned the decision in recent months to strip the al-Khalil municipality of its planning and construction authority over the Ibrahimi Mosque.

They warn that the move represents a serious escalation that threatens the legal, historical and religious status of one of Palestine’s holiest sites.

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