The Palestinian Ministry of Endowments and Religious Affairs strongly rejected on Monday Israel’s decision to seize parts of the Ibrahimi Mosque in the southern West Bank city of Hebron, condemning it as a blatant violation of Palestinian authority and a threat to the mosque’s Islamic identity.

The move, announced by the Palestinian Liberation Organization’s Wall and Settlement Resistance Commission, involves Israeli plans to take control of 288 square meters of the mosque’s inner courtyard roof, a section of one of Palestine’s most sacred and historically significant sites.

“This decision undermines the historical and cultural status of the Ibrahimi Mosque and infringes on the exclusive powers of the Ministry of Endowments,” the Ministry said in a statement, emphasizing that it reserves the right to carry out restoration and repair work throughout the mosque, including in areas targeted by Israel.

The Ministry called on the international community, UNESCO, and human rights organizations to intervene to prevent Israel from erasing the mosque’s Islamic, historical, and cultural heritage. The Ibrahimi Mosque is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, which explicitly prohibits altering its religious and architectural features.

Muayyad Shaaban, head of the Wall and Settlement Resistance Commission, warned that Israel’s plan represents a gradual and escalating campaign to seize Palestinian religious sites, in violation of international law. Earlier reports indicate that Israel intends to transfer administration of the mosque from the Palestinian Ministry of Endowments and the Hebron Municipality to the Jewish Religious Council in the nearby illegal settlement of Kiryat Arba.

The Ibrahimi Mosque, located in Hebron’s Old City under Israeli control, has long been a symbol of Palestinian resilience. Since a 1994 massacre by a Jewish settler that killed 29 Palestinian worshippers, Israel divided the mosque—63% for Jewish settlers and 37% for Muslims—while maintaining a heavy military presence to protect around 400 settlers living in the area.

The developments occur amid intensifying Israeli attacks across the West Bank and East Jerusalem, alongside the ongoing war in Gaza. According to Palestinian figures, Israeli forces and settlers have killed over 1,022 Palestinians, injured nearly 7,000, and detained more than 19,000 in the West Bank since October 2023.

Meanwhile, Israel’s ongoing assault on Gaza, backed by the United States, has claimed 64,905 Palestinian lives, injured 164,926, and left famine to take an additional 425 lives, including 145 children. Palestinian authorities and human rights organizations have condemned the seizure of sacred sites as part of Israel’s broader campaign to erase Palestinian cultural, religious, and national identity. (ILKHA)