Israel destroyed 79% of mosques, 3 churches in Gaza, says ministry

GAZA CITY, Palestine (AA) – The Ministry of Religious Affairs in Gaza said on Saturday that Israel has destroyed 79% of mosques in the Gaza Strip during its genocidal war against Palestinians.

The Israeli army has flattened 814 of Gaza’s 1,245 mosques and severely damage another 148 during its intensified bombardment, the ministry revealed.

Along with the mosques, three churches were also destroyed, and 19 of the 60 cemeteries were deliberately targeted, the statement said.

The estimated financial cost of the damage to the ministry’s properties is $350 million, it added.

The ministry also accused the Israeli army of desecrating graves, exhuming bodies, and committing brutal acts of violence against those who died, such as stealing their remains and mutilating them.

In addition to the destruction of places of worship, the ministry noted that 11 administrative and educational facilities under its authority were destroyed, accounting for 79% of such structures in Gaza.

The ministry added that Israeli forces killed 238 of its employees and detained 19 others during ground offensives in the territory.

The ministry condemned the attacks on Gaza’s religious sites and urged the international community, including world governments and Islamic organizations, to intervene immediately to halt the “ongoing war of extermination.”

Israel has continued its brutal offensive on the Gaza Strip since October 7, killing mostly women and children, and over 96,800 others injured, according to local health authorities.

The Israeli onslaught has displaced almost the entire population of the territory amid an ongoing blockade that has led to severe shortages of food, clean water, and medicine.