Palestinians on Wednesday marked the 32nd anniversary of the Ibrahimi Mosque massacre in Hebron, commemorating one of the deadliest attacks on worshippers in the occupied West Bank and underscoring how its consequences continue to shape daily life under Israeli control.
On Feb. 25, 1994, during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, a U.S.-born Israeli settler, Baruch Goldstein, opened fire inside the Ibrahimi Mosque during dawn prayers.
Armed with a Galil assault rifle, Goldstein shot worshippers as they knelt in prayer, reloading at least once before being overpowered and beaten to death. Twenty-nine Palestinians were killed inside the mosque and more than 100 wounded, according to WAFA.
Local sources estimate that between 50 and 70 Palestinians were killed overall, with roughly 250 injured, after Israeli forces opened fire during protests outside the mosque, near Ahli Hospital and during funeral processions.
Survivors and witnesses have long disputed Israel’s assertion that Goldstein acted alone, with some alleging additional gunmen and prior knowledge by Israeli forces.
Israel’s government at the time condemned the attack and described Goldstein as a lone, mentally unstable assailant. An Israeli American citizen, Goldstein lived in the nearby Kiryat Arba settlement and was a follower of extremist rabbi Meir Kahane, founder of the banned Kach movement that advocated the forced removal of Palestinians.
In the aftermath, Israeli authorities imposed sweeping security measures across Hebron’s Old City. Military rule was tightened, hundreds of Palestinian-owned shops were ordered closed and the once-bustling Shuhada Street was largely sealed off, a situation that largely persists today.
The mosque itself was physically divided. About 60% of the compound was allocated to Jewish worshippers and converted into a synagogue area protected by barriers and military posts, while Muslim access was reduced to roughly 40% of the site and routed through checkpoints. Palestinians say reaching the mosque remains difficult and unpredictable, particularly during religious holidays.
The massacre also shaped Hebron’s political geography. Under the 1997 Hebron Protocol signed by Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization, the city was split into H1, covering about 80% of residential areas under Palestinian Authority control, and H2, comprising roughly 20% of the city, including the Old City and the Ibrahimi Mosque, where Israel retains full security control. About 33,000 Palestinians live in the H2 zone alongside several hundred Israeli settlers.
For survivors, the anniversary revives lasting trauma. Many say the physical division of the mosque and the expansion of restrictions felt like a collective punishment rather than justice.
Three decades on, Palestinians in Hebron say the legacy of the massacre is not only remembrance of the dead, but a daily reality of closures, checkpoints and restricted access to one of Islam’s holiest sites.
