Israeli forces close Ibrahimi Mosque amid incursion on Al-Aqsa, death of Palestinian prisoner

Israeli forces on Wednesday closed off the Ibrahimi Mosque, a scared place of worship for Palestinian Muslims, to allow Jews to mark the Sukkot holiday.

At the same time, Israeli extremist minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, who is also a settler, led an incursion into the revered Al-Aqsa Mosque complex.

The official Palestinian Wafa news agency said the mosque will be closed off to Muslims until Thursday evening.

Amjad Karajeh, the director of the Hebron Endowments Department, issued a statement condemning the closure of the Ibrahimi Mosque, calling it a blatant violation of its sanctity. He added that the move was a provocative assault on the rights of Muslims and it prevents them from accessing their place of worship.

Reports in local Palestinian media added that Israeli forces escalated tensions by closing off all checkpoints and gates leading to the mosque, to allow Israelis to mark the holiday.

Meanwhile, Israeli forces put Palestinians in several neighbourhoods under a curfew, particularly in the areas of Jaber, Salaymeh, Ghaith and Wadi al-Hussein, all located east of Hebron.

Students were prevented from getting to school in the process, reports added.

In occupied east Jerusalem, Ben-Gvir lead dozens of settlers into the Al-Aqsa Mosque, allowing them to enter the prayer halls and courtyards.

Israeli police went on to remove Palestinian worshippers from the area, to pave the way for the those carrying out Jewish rituals, despite this violating laws.

In the Old City, Israelis marched through the alleyways under heavy security and police protection, preventing Palestinians from carrying out their daily routines and forcing may Palestinian owned businesses to close.

The incursions, which have become more regular since the start of Israel’s war on Gaza in October 2023, have raised serious concerns over the threat to the status-quo of the holy site as well as its Islamic and historic identity.

The latest developments come as a Palestinian prisoner held in Ramon Prison, located in southern Israel, was pronounced dead due to deteriorating health and medical neglect, prisoners’ affairs groups said on Wednesday.

The Commission of Detainees Affairs and the Palestinian Prisoners Society identified the Palestinian prisoner as 22-year-old Ahmed Khdeirat.

A joint statement from the organisations said that he is from the town of ad-Dhahiriya in Hebron and in August, the Palestinian Prisoners’ Society had warned over the "serious deterioration" of his health.

Reports state he was held under administrative detention since May 2024, which is an Israeli military order that is commonly used against Palestinians, allowing them to be imprisoned without charge or trial for renewable period of up to six months.

The warning in August read: "Khdeirat, detained in Israel’s Negev prison, is facing a severe decline in his health due to chronic diabetes and a skin disease (scabies)," and added that his weight had dropped to 40 kilograms.

Hamas issued a statement following the announcement of Khdeirat’s death, noting that the toll of Palestinian prisoners who have died in Israeli prisons since October 2023 has topped 78. The group further demanded urgent international action to hold Israel accountable for the treatment of prisoners.

Since the start of the war on Gaza, there has been a sharp uptick in tensions in the occupied West Bank. According to official Palestinian figures, at least 1,049 Palestinians have been killed and around 10,300 wounded in the West Bank since October 2023.