Hebron governor says Israeli closure behind 106 gates and 16 blocked roads provides a framework for annexing the Ibrahimi Mosque

Israeli authorities have sealed Hebron off from the rest of the occupied West Bank, closing the governorate behind 106 iron gates and blocking 16 major access roads with earth mounds. Hebron Governor Khaled Dodin said at a press conference that the military closure provides a physical framework for the systematic annexation of the historic Ibrahimi Mosque, Anadolu Agency reported.

Occupation forces have advanced unauthorized construction on the sanctuary’s roof and seized municipal infrastructure, water networks and electrical controls. The post says Tel Aviv stripped the Hebron Municipality of its legal management powers and transferred jurisdiction directly to the nearby Kiryat Arba settlement, which it describes as illegal.

Palestinian officials denounced the move as a flagrant assault on the holy site’s historical status quo. They said occupation forces had banned the Muslim call to prayer for 10 consecutive days and barred local worshippers.

The closure is taking place alongside what the post describes as a broader land grab: more than 20 new illegal settlement outposts have been established, and more than 700 occupation and settler attacks have been recorded across the governorate.