JAKARTA - A small number of Palestinians performed Eid al-Adha prayers at the Ibrahimi Mosque, Hebron, in the occupied West Bank, amid tight Israeli restrictions.
Israeli soldiers closed the mosque gates and checked the worshippers at the entrance, forcing some to go to another mosque after being delayed, Anadolu's correspondent said.
Israeli forces also fired stun grenades near the mosque, causing panic among some 300 worshippers.
"Eid al-Adha is the biggest holiday for Muslims, but the occupation forces closed the gates of the Ibrahimi Mosque and fired stun grenades at the congregation," Hebron Governor Khaled Dudin told Anadolu.
Dudin said the number of worshipers did not exceed 30 percent of the usual number, and described the situation as "religious terror" inside the mosque.
"It is our duty to remain steadfast, resilient, and present at the Ibrahimi Mosque to protect this historic Islamic building that is more than 4,000 years old," he said.
The mosque is located in the Old City of Hebron, which is under full Israeli control, where about 400 Israelis live under the protection of about 1,500 Israeli soldiers.
In 1994, Israel divided 63 percent of the mosque area for Jewish residents and 37 percent for Muslims, after a massacre carried out by a Jewish settler that killed 29 Palestinian worshipers.
The mosque was once fully open to Muslims during certain religious events, including Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha, but access has been increasingly restricted in recent years.
Since Israel's military genocide war in Gaza in October 2023, the West Bank has witnessed an increase in attacks by the army and illegal settlers.
The Israeli army has killed around 1,200 Palestinians, wounded more than 12,600 others, and displaced 33,000 in the West Bank, according to figures published by the Palestinian government media office.
In the city of Bethlehem, in the southern West Bank, Palestinians performed the Eid al-Adha prayers at the Manger Square in the city center.
Mufti of Bethlehem, Sheikh Abdul Majid Amarna, told Anadolu on the sidelines of the prayer that "this year's Eid al-Adha message is that this nation cannot be uprooted or controlled despite the efforts of its enemies."
"The Palestinian people have made great sacrifices and will remain steadfast despite the policies of restrictions and sieges," he said.
This year, Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza are still celebrating Eid al-Adha under the pressure of war, blockade, and Israeli military escalation.
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