Israeli forces implement heavy security measures in Hebron after 2 Palestinians killed

Soldiers seized houses surrounding the Ibrahimi Mosque, known to Jews as the Tomb of the Patriarchs, after two Israelis were shot and injured outside the religious site Friday, according to both Palestinian and Israeli media reports.

Palestinian news agency Ma’an said Palestinians were also being denied entry to the mosque, which was already subject to heavy security checks. Meanwhile, around 4,000 Israelis visited the site as part of a religious pilgrimage, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said.

The IDF said they could not comment on the ongoing military activity in Hebron.

Another Israeli was also injured in a separate shooting in Hebron on Friday while earlier in the day a 72-year-old Palestinian woman was shot dead while driving her car, by soldiers who claimed she was attempting to run them over.

Around 20 Palestinians have been killed in Hebron since October when a bout of violence that has mostly involved clashes and alleged stabbings began, killing 78 Palestinians and 10 Israelis.

Prominent Hebron-based activists Youth Against Settlements, which focuses on non-violent protest, said the home of their head Issa Amro was raided by soldiers on Saturday.

“The Israeli Occupation Forces are occupying the centre of Youth Against Settlement, detaining three activists there,” said a statement posted on Facebook. “They are are all locked in the center, banned from using their phones or the internet. [Soldiers are] not allowing anyone to get in or get out of it. The [Israeli] settlers are in the center destroying and messing with its properties with the help of the IOF [soldiers].”

The group has been one of the most vocal in its criticism of Israeli policies in Hebron, parts of which have been declared a military zone after two weeks of heightened tension, which has made it a hotspot for violence, with almost daily clashes between Palestinian youth and soldiers.

Israeli human rights group B’Tselem said Friday that the Israeli military’s measures are “draconian” and constitute collective punishment for Palestinian residents who are not suspected of involvement in violence but are affected by checkpoints and closures of areas.

Hebron has long been a flashpoint for tension between Palestinians and Israeli settlers, who live in close proximity, especially around the Ibrahimi Mosque, which is divided between Muslims and Jews and has a heavy military presence.

The mosque was the scene of the 1994 Hebron massacre, when a hardline Israeli settler walked in and shot dead 29 Palestinian worshippers.