Israeli 'Defense’ Minister Moshe Ya’alon broke into the Ibrahimi Mosque in the Old City of Hebron, under tightened security protection, on Tuesday, August 10, 2015.

In anticipation of Ya’alon’s provocative visit, Israeli forces closed down all of the old market gates leading to the Mosque, effectively denying Palestinian Shari'a Court employees as well as Muslim worshippers access into the Mosque.

The Mosque caretaker Munther Abu al-Feilat denounced Ya’alon’s act describing it as an attempt to obliterate the Palestinian and Islamic nature of the Mosque and the Old City of Hebron.

This came after Israeli authorities decided to deny Muslim worshippers access into the Mosque while allowed Jewish settlers to force their way into it from Wednesday 10am to Thursday 10am purportedly for celebrating the first of September according to the Jewish calendar.

(WAFA)