Israeli occupation forces reportedly assaulted Sheikh Moataz Abu Sneineh, the director of the Ibrahimi Mosque in Hebron, as he attempted to cross a military checkpoint leading to the mosque in the southern part of the occupied West Bank.
According to Sheikh Abu Sneineh, the soldiers stopped him at the inspection gates on his way to work, demanded his identification, and ordered him to strip for a search. He refused to comply with the public strip search, prompting the soldiers to take him to a closed room where he says he was physically assaulted and subjected to verbal abuse.
Despite the assault, Abu Sneineh was eventually allowed to enter the mosque. However, he noted that ambulance crews were barred from accessing the area to provide him with medical attention.
“This is an unprecedented attack,” he stated. “I have been working at the mosque for over a decade and cross this checkpoint daily. The soldiers are well aware of who I am.”
The Ibrahimi Mosque director highlighted the escalation of violations by Israeli forces against the mosque and Muslim worshippers since October 7, 2023. He reported that all entrances to the mosque, except one, have been closed under heightened security measures, leading to daily, humiliating searches of worshippers.
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This year, the Israeli occupation authorities closed the mosque to Muslim worshippers on 13 occasions, granting exclusive access to settlers. These actions, Abu Sneineh said, are in direct violation of the Hebron Agreement, which governs the shared access to the site.
The incident underscores ongoing tensions and human rights concerns in Hebron, a city with a deeply contested history and significance for both Muslims and Jews.
