Israel bans call to prayer at Hebron's Ibrahimi Mosque for fifth day

What Happened

Israeli forces have banned the call to prayer (adhan) at the Ibrahimi Mosque in Hebron for a fifth consecutive day, citing maintenance work to install a roof over the central courtyard. The Israeli army also issued orders barring the mosque's director, Sheikh Mutaz Abu Sneineh, and the head of its custodians, Hammam Abu Murkhiya, from entering the site for 12 days. The muezzin has been denied access to the adhan broadcast room, located in the section of the mosque under Israeli control, according to a Palestinian source. The Palestinian Authority's Ministry of Awqaf and Religious Affairs condemned the measures as an 'escalating repressive and arbitrary' attempt to strip the mosque of its Palestinian religious leadership. Hisham Sharabati, coordinator of the Hebron Defence Committee, stated that the adhan ban is not new—having been routinely enforced on Saturdays and Jewish holidays since the mid-1990s, sometimes causing up to 70–90 missed calls a month—but noted that restrictions have intensified significantly since Israel's current government took office in late 2022 and during the Gaza war.

Key Actors

Why It Matters

The ban on the call to prayer at the Ibrahimi Mosque—a site sacred to both Muslims and Jews as the burial place of Abraham—amplifies long-standing friction over control of the partitioned shrine. Since the 1994 massacre and subsequent division, Palestinians accuse Israel of incrementally expanding Jewish access while curtailing Muslim worship; the latest measures, including expulsion of religious staff, follow an escalation since the Gaza war began. This dynamic fuels local tension in Hebron and is emblematic of wider contests over sacred spaces in the occupied West Bank, with potential implications for the broader Israeli-Palestinian conflict and international legal scrutiny.

Watch For

Monitor whether the adhan ban persists beyond the stated maintenance work and whether Abu Sneineh and Abu Murkhiya are permitted to return after 12 days. Watch for any Palestinian Authority or international legal responses (e.g., at UNESCO or the ICJ), for protest actions or confrontations at the mosque, and for any further Israeli measures to restrict access or consolidate administrative control over the site.