The ministry explained in a statement that the closure will include all of the mosque's corridors, courtyards, and sections, with worshippers prohibited from entering on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays.
The ministry condemned the decision, describing it as a "flagrant violation of freedom of worship and a systematic targeting of the Ibrahimi Mosque," warning of the danger of escalating Israeli measures against it, which include repeated bans on the call to prayer, restrictions on worshippers through electronic gates and searches, and obstruction of the work of the staff supervising the mosque.
The Endowments Authority called on the international community and UNESCO to take urgent action to halt these attacks, which threaten the purely Islamic character of the Ibrahimi Mosque.
The decision comes a week after the mosque was closed for the Jewish New Year and ahead of Yom Kippur, which falls on October 1.
The Ibrahimi Mosque is located in the Old City of Hebron, which is under full Israeli control. Approximately 400 settlers live there, guarded by approximately 1,500 Israeli soldiers.
Israel divided the mosque in 1994, dividing it 63% for Jews and 37% for Muslims, following a massacre carried out by an Israeli settler that resulted in the deaths of 29 Palestinian worshippers.
Under unilateral Israeli arrangements, the mosque is closed to Muslims for 10 days a year on the occasion of Jewish holidays, and to Jews for similar days on the occasion of Islamic holidays.
However, since the outbreak of the war on Gaza on October 7, 2023, the occupation has not committed to fully opening it to Muslims, even for their religious occasions.
With American support, Israel has been committing genocide in Gaza since October 7, 2023, leaving 66,055 martyrs and 168,346 wounded, most of them children and women, and a famine that has claimed the lives of 442 Palestinians, including 147 children.
