Gaza, ALRAY - Palestinians all over the world marked on Thursday the 27th anniversary of the Israeli massacre inside the Ibrahimi mosque in the occupied West Bank city of Hebron, which led to 29 deaths and over 150 injuries among worshipers.
On February 25 1994, which was the 15th of Ramadan, Israeli military settler Baruch Goldstein entered the Ibrahimi mosque and committed a shooting attack against worshipers who were kneeling in prayer of al-Fajr.
Meanwhile, Israeli soldiers based in the mosque’s area closed the doors of the mosque to prevent worshipers from fleeing, as well as blocked comers to the mosque from entering it to help saving the wounded.
Other Palestinians were gunned down later by Israeli forces’ gunfire outside the mosque and during the martyrs’ funerals of the massacre, having the death toll during that day reached 50 martyrs, of them 29 were killed inside the mosque.
Tensions heightened on that day and clashes erupted with Israeli soldiers in all Palestinian towns and cities and mainly in Hebron, bringing the total number of martyrs who have fallen as a result to 60.
Following the massacre, Israeli forces have shut down the Ibrahimi mosque and all entrances to Hebron’s Old City for six consecutive months allegedly for conducting an investigation into it.
One-sided committee called “Shamgar committee” was formed by the Israeli occupation on that time to investigate the massacre, and has led into a number of recommendations. Of which, dividing the Ibrahimi mosque into two sections, 60% of it for the Israeli settlers and the remaining 40% for the Palestinians.
The Israeli occupation also maintained a harsh occupying reality against the Palestinian people in the Hebron’s Old Town, sealed off a number of markets and roads in the city, and installed security cameras and electronic gates on all entrances to the mosque.
Moreover, the Israeli occupation closed all the entrances to the Ibrahimi mosque in the face of Muslims, leaving one entrance with very strict military procedures.
With these procedures, the Israeli occupation has separated the Hebron’s Old Town, in which the Ibrahimi Mosque is located, from its surroundings, with a view to Judaize and seize over them.
Baruch Goldstein is a US-born Israeli physician. He had emigrated to 'Israel' in 1983, and lived in the Kiryat Arba illegal settlement based on the Palestinian lands of Hebron.
It’s noteworthy that the Ibrahimi Mosque is the fourth holiest site in Islam and the second holiest site in Palestine. It is located at southeast of Hebron and at the heart of its Old town.
