ABAN24 - The Ibrahimi Mosque in al-Khalil is set to be closed again to Muslim worshipers from Sunday afternoon through Monday, coinciding with the Jewish holiday of Yom Kippur, in the second major closure of the site within less than a week.
According to the 2026 schedule, the Mosque will be fully allocated for Jewish prayers starting at 3 pm on Sunday, September 20, on the eve of Yom Kippur, and will remain closed to Muslim worshipers throughout Monday, September 21.
The closure comes only days after Israeli forces shut the Mosque to Muslims on Wednesday and Thursday and tightened military measures in the Old City and around the site.
The Palestinian Ministry of Awqaf and Religious Affairs condemned the closure, describing it as an attack on freedom of worship. It called on international and human rights institutions to intervene to protect the Mosque and ensure Muslim worshipers’ access to it.
Mutaz Abu Sneineh, director of the Ibrahimi Mosque, said the closures are part of continued escalation and efforts to seize what remains of the Mosque, while the ministry reaffirmed that the entire site, including its halls and courtyards, is an exclusively Islamic place of worship.
The restrictions have also affected the surrounding area, with checkpoints and electronic gates closed, movement limited, and access to markets in the Old City disrupted. The measures led to the full suspension of classes at the Ibrahimiya Elementary School for Boys and disrupted classes at al-Fayhaa Elementary School for Girls.
The announced 2026 schedule shows further closures and changes ahead during Jewish holidays, including Sukkot in late September, when the entire Mosque is expected to be opened to Israeli settlers on September 28 and 29, with additional arrangements listed for September 30 and October 3.
The Ministry of Awqaf also said Israeli occupation authorities prevented the call to prayer at the Ibrahimi Mosque 155 times in August alone, adding that full closures during Jewish holidays compound the daily restrictions imposed on Muslim worshipers.
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