Ben-Gvir visits Ibrahimi Mosque with hundreds of settlers

Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir visited the Ibrahimi Mosque in Hebron in the occupied West Bank on Tuesday, accompanied by hundreds of Israeli settlers.

The visit came a day after Ben-Gvir entered the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in occupied East Jerusalem during the week-long Jewish festival of Sukkot.

Footage broadcast by Israel’s Channel 14 showed Ben-Gvir entering the Ibrahimi Mosque. Speaking to the channel, he said he felt “a power” at the site that encouraged him to sing and celebrate.

According to TRT World, Ben-Gvir has himself lived as a settler in Hebron for years. Hundreds of settlers were seen behind him during the visit.

Israeli authorities announced on Monday that Muslims would be barred from entering the Ibrahimi Mosque during Sukkot.

The Palestinian Ministry of Awqaf and Religious Affairs said the closure also prevents Muslims from praying and calling the azan at the mosque.

The ministry condemned the move as an attack on the mosque’s sanctity and Muslim religious rights. It said the Ibrahimi Mosque is entirely an Islamic waqf property.

It also warned that continued Israeli measures and attempts to impose a division of time and space at the mosque could have serious consequences.