Hebron, September 15, 2025 (WAFA) – The Wall and Settlement Resistance Commission revealed that the Israeli occupation authorities have issued a decision to seize the roof of the inner courtyard of the Ibrahimi Mosque in the city of Hebron.
The expropriation order, issued on Monday, stipulates the seizure of an area of 288 square meters of the designated roof.
The head of the commission, Mu'ayyad Shaaban, said that Israel is thus embarking on a gradual and escalating trend of targeting religious sites in a manner that violates all norms, particularly the transfer of authority for work in the Ibrahimi Mosque in February 2025 from the Palestinian Ministry of Endowments to the so-called "Civil Planning Authority."
This was followed by a decision on July 20, 2025, withdrawing supervisory authority from the Hebron Municipality and transferring it to the Religious Council in the Kiryat Arba settlement, to manage parts of the Mosque and implement structural changes to the Mosque.
Shaabanemphasized that this decision, which coincides with the transfer of supervisory powers from the Palestinian Waqf and the Hebron Municipality to colonial authorities, consolidates an approach based on undermining Islamic religious authority over the Ibrahimi Mosque and legitimizing direct colonial interference in the management of its facilities and buildings. It also isolates the Mosque from its Palestinian surroundings and links it administratively and security-wise to colonial councils.
He emphasized that these policies clearly violate international humanitarian law and UNESCO resolutions that consider the Ibrahimi Mosque a World Heritage Site in Danger. These steps constitute a full-fledged colonial crime.
Shaaban called on the international community, primarily UNESCO and the United Nations, to assume their responsibilities in protecting the Ibrahimi Mosque and preventing the occupation from imposing new Judaization facts. He also affirmed that defending the Ibrahimi Mosque is a defense of Hebron's identity and heritage, and of the Palestinian people's right to administer their holy sites and protect their religious and cultural sovereignty.
K.T
