RAMALLAH, Palestine — The Israeli army stormed the city of Hebron on Saturday, closing the Ibrahimi Mosque and preventing worshippers from entering, according to eyewitnesses and local authorities.

Eyewitnesses reported that Israeli forces raided the Wadi al-Hariya neighborhood, searching several homes, and took positions in the Jabal Abu Rumman neighborhood, with soldiers and snipers seen on rooftops of residential buildings.

Sheikh Mutaz Abu Sneina, director of the Ibrahimi Mosque, said the mosque was closed without prior notice at dawn on Saturday, preventing worshippers from entering. “The occupation forces closed the mosque from 4:00 a.m. without warning,” Abu Sneina said.

The Israeli army confirmed the closure in a statement on X, formerly Twitter, citing security concerns following a "sabotage operation" in the Gush Etzion settlement bloc and Karmei Tzur settlement. The army stated that the mosque was briefly closed "for security reasons" and later reopened under strict security measures.

The raid followed a car bomb explosion at the Gush Etzion junction in the southern West Bank, injuring three Israeli officers, including a brigade commander, and coincided with an attack in the nearby Karmei Tzur settlement.

Tensions remain high in the occupied West Bank amid an ongoing Israeli offensive on the Gaza Strip, which has claimed over 40,600 Palestinian lives, mostly women and children, since October 7 last year. In the West Bank, at least 674 Palestinians have been killed, nearly 5,400 injured, and over 10,300 arrested during the same period, according to Palestinian sources.

The escalation continues following a landmark opinion by the International Court of Justice on July 19, which declared Israel's occupation of Palestinian land unlawful and called for the evacuation of all settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. — Agencies