The West Bank.. The Israeli army imposes a curfew in Palestinian neighborhoods in the center of Hebron.

The Israeli army imposed a curfew on several Palestinian neighborhoods in the city of Hebron in the southern West Bank on Monday evening, on the eve of the Jewish holiday of Sukkot, and decided to close the Ibrahimi Mosque in the city for two days.

Member of the Hebron Defense Committee (non-governmental) Aref Jaber said: "This evening, the occupation army verbally informed us of the curfew in several neighborhoods in the closed area of Hebron, without specifying the end of the curfew."

He added: "Dozens of soldiers spread in the streets in a state of alert, preventing citizens from returning to their homes, especially in the Wadi al-Hussein neighborhood, under the pretext of the arrival of the Sukkot holiday."

The area under closure is estimated to be about one square kilometer in the center of Hebron, where approximately 7,000 Palestinian residents are subjected to strict measures, while Israeli settlers enjoy freedom of movement.

At the conclusion of a session to assess the security situation, Israeli Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir ordered the state of readiness among his soldiers to be raised to the highest levels during the Sukkot holiday, which begins on Monday evening and lasts until October 13.

For his part, the director of the Ibrahimi Mosque, Sheikh Mu'taz Abu Sneina, stated that the Israeli army "decided to close the Ibrahimi sanctuary (mosque) on Wednesday and Thursday on the occasion of Sukkot."

In 1994, Israel divided the mosque, allocating 63 percent to Jews and 37 percent to Muslims, following a massacre committed by a Jewish settler that resulted in the death of 29 Palestinian worshippers.

According to unilateral Israeli arrangements, the mosque is completely closed to Muslims for 10 days a year during Jewish religious occasions, and is also completely closed to Jews for 10 similar days during Islamic religious occasions.

However, since the beginning of the genocide in Gaza on October 7, 2023, there has been no adherence to fully opening it to Muslims during their occasions.

Alongside the genocide in Gaza, the Israeli army and settlers in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, have killed at least 1,048 Palestinians and injured about 10,300, in addition to arresting more than 19,000, including 400 children.