Israel army imposes curfew affecting more than 2,500 Palestinians in Hebron

The Israeli army imposed a curfew on several Palestinian neighbourhoods in central Hebron on Sunday evening, affecting more than 2,500 residents, according to a local rights activist, as security measures were tightened during the Jewish holiday of Yom Kippur.

Aref Jaber, a member of the Human Rights Defenders group, told Anadolu that the restrictions covered the Jaber, Al-Salaymeh and Wadi al-Hussein neighbourhoods.

Jaber said the curfew began at 5:00 p.m. local time on Sunday and was expected to remain in effect until the end of Yom Kippur on Monday.

According to Jaber, more than 2,500 Palestinians in the affected neighbourhoods were prohibited from moving freely, opening businesses or traveling to workplaces and schools during the restrictions.

The Israeli military frequently introduces additional security and movement restrictions in parts of Hebron during major Jewish holidays, particularly around the Ibrahimi Mosque, known to Jews as the Cave of the Patriarchs.

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Access to the religious site has been divided between Muslim and Jewish worshippers since the aftermath of the 1994 killing of 29 Palestinian Muslim worshippers by Israeli settler Baruch Goldstein. Different access arrangements are also imposed on certain religious holidays.

Hebron itself has operated under a distinctive administrative arrangement since the 1997 Hebron Protocol, which divided the city into two sectors.

The H1 area, comprising around 80 percent of the city, is administered by the Palestinian Authority. H2, which includes the Old City, the Ibrahimi Mosque/Cave of the Patriarchs and Israeli settlement enclaves, remains under Israeli security control.

Yom Kippur, or the Day of Atonement, is among the holiest days in Judaism and is traditionally observed through fasting, prayer and restrictions on ordinary activities.

The holiday falls during a period of several major Jewish observances, including Rosh Hashanah and Sukkot, during which Israeli authorities typically introduce heightened security arrangements in Jerusalem, Hebron and other parts of the occupied West Bank.

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