The Palestinian Ministry of Religious Endowments warned today that Israeli President Isaac Herzog would storm the Ibrahimi Mosque in the occupied city of al-Khalil.

Undersecretary Hussam Abu al-Rub confirmed that "this is a provocative step for the feelings of Muslims and Arabs and an attack on Islamic sanctities," adding that the Israeli occupation bears the consequences of this step, considering it a new attack and encouragement for settlers to continue their attacks on holy sites.

Furthermore, Hamas called on "Israel" to "take full responsibility" for the Israeli president's decision to light the first candle for the Festival of Lights on Sunday at the Ibrahimi Mosque in al-Khalil, occupied West Bank.

The resistance movement said in a statement that "the intention of Zionist entity President Isaac Herzog to light the first candle on the occasion of the so-called Talmudic festival of lights at the Ibrahimi Mosque in al-Khalil on Sunday represents a provocation to the feelings of our Palestinian people and a flagrant violation of the sanctity of the Ibrahimi Mosque, and the occupation bears full responsibility for the repercussions of this attack."

Occupation forces have repeatedly stormed the Ibrahimi Mosque, tightening restrictions imposed on worshipers entering the mosque.

According to the al-Khalil Agreement of 1997 made between the Palestine Liberation Organization and "Israel", the city of al-Khalil is divided into two areas: The first being "K1" and resides under Palestinian control, with the second "K2" under Israeli control, the latter covering 20% of the city's area and includes the Old City and the Ibrahimi Mosque.

In July 2017, the UNESCO World Heritage Committee declared the Ibrahimi Mosque a Palestinian heritage site.

Following the massacre committed by the Israeli settler Baruch Goldstein in 1994 in the Ibrahimi Mosque, which resulted in the death of 29 Palestinians, the occupation authorities cut off more than half of the mosque and turned it into a synagogue.