Hebron, MINA – The month of February witnessed a dangerous and unprecedented escalation in Israeli actions against Palestinian holy sites, with the call to prayer blocked 45 times at the Ibrahimi Mosque in al-Khalil and over 24 incursions into the Aqsa Mosque compound, according to a report by Palestine’s Ministry of Endowments and Religious Affairs, as cited by PIC.
The ministry’s monthly report, released on Tuesday, detailed a systematic campaign of restrictions and provocations at the two major religious sites, particularly with the start of the holy month of Ramadan.
At the Ibrahimi Mosque in al-Khalil (Hebron), Israeli forces not only blocked the call to prayer 45 times but also held boisterous celebrations in the section of the site under Israeli control.
The report noted that the eastern gate and the market entrance leading to the mosque were repeatedly closed, and some mosque custodians were barred from entry.
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Ambulance and Red Crescent crews were reportedly prevented from reaching the mosque during the first two Fridays of Ramadan. Beginning on the eleventh day of Ramadan, Israeli authorities fully closed the mosque to Muslim worshippers, citing the ongoing Israel-Iran war.
Regarding the Aqsa Mosque in occupied Jerusalem, the report stated that Israeli occupation police and settlers stormed the compound more than 24 times during February. These incursions took place almost daily during both morning and evening hours, involving thousands of participants.
The ministry highlighted that some incursions included public Talmudic rituals inside the Mosque’s compound, such as prostration, singing, dancing, and the display of printed prayers.
These actions were described as attempts to impose a new religious reality and alter the historic status quo at the site. The highest number of incursions was recorded on February 17 and 18, coinciding with the beginning of the Hebrew month.
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Israeli forces reportedly imposed strict entry restrictions on Muslim worshippers, barring hundreds from accessing the Mosque and conducting inspections at gates to the Old City, particularly near Bab al-Sahira and Bab al-Silsila.
The report also noted that Israel’s National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir entered the Aqsa compound during the month, accompanied by the Israeli police chief and senior officers, holding a field meeting.
The ministry said Ben-Gvir’s statements about “imposing sovereignty” and tightening measures during Ramadan reflected an escalation in what it called a provocative policy toward the Mosque.
Beyond the two major sites, the ministry documented attacks on other places of worship. Settlers set fire to part of Abu Bakr al-Siddiq Mosque in the village of Tel, south of Nablus, and sprayed racist graffiti on its walls.
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In a separate incident, settlers targeted the Church of the Visitation in the depopulated village of Ein Karem west of Jerusalem, vandalizing its walls and nearby vehicles with similar graffiti.
The ministry concluded that the pattern of actions in February reflects a systematic policy aimed at imposing temporal and spatial division at the Aqsa Mosque and paving the way for altering its Islamic identity.
It warned that continued escalation, coupled with what it described as international silence, poses serious risks to Islamic and Christian holy sites in occupied Jerusalem and called for urgent international intervention.[]
Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)
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