Israeli forces close mosque in Hebron, impose curfew on Palestinians

Israeli forces have closed the Ibrahimi mosque to Muslim worshippers and imposed a curfew on Palestinians in the Old City of Hebron to allow illegal settlers to mark a Jewish holiday, Anadolu Adency is reporting, citing local activists.

The army imposed the curfew on Friday morning across multiple neighbourhoods in the city, Aref Jaber, a member of the non-governmental Hebron Defense Committee and a resident of the area, told Anadolu.

According to Jaber, Israeli forces shut checkpoints leading to the old city, effectively preventing Palestinians from entering or leaving the area.

This barred many residents from returning to their homes and forced them to stay overnight elsewhere in Hebron, Jaber said.

He also reported that hundreds of illegal settlers entered the old city on Friday night and Sunday morning, and conducted what he described as “provocative” processions through the city streets under military escort.

He added that this comes amid Israeli attempts to convert the mosque into a synagogue.