Israeli attacks damage nearly 1,000 mosques in Gaza

Palestinian authorities report Israeli attacks on 20 mosques in occupied West Bank last year

-ISTANBUL, Turkiye (AA)

Nearly 1,000 mosques have been seriously damaged in Israeli attacks in the Gaza Strip last year, Palestinian authorities say.

In a statement, the Ministry of Awqaf and Religious Affairs said 815 sacred Islamic landmarks and worship places were entirely destroyed and 151 others partially damaged.

The ministry said 19 cemeteries and three churches were also destroyed in Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza in 2024.

In the occupied West Bank, the ministry recorded 256 attacks by illegal Israelo settlers on the sacred Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied East Jerusalem last year. Al Aqsa is Islam’s third holiest site, its first prayer direction and the site of the Prophet Peace Be Upon Him’s Ascension to the heavens.

According to the ministry, some 2,567 illegal settlers forced their way into the mosque complex to celebrate the week-long Jewish holiday of Hanukkah, which was marked from December 25 to January 2.

The ministry also documented Israeli attacks on 20 other mosques in the occupied West Bank, including the Ibrahimi mosque.

Tension has been running high across the occupied Palestinian territories due to Israel’s genocidal war on the Gaza Strip, which has killed more than 45,800 people, mostly women and children, since October 7, 2023.

In November, the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its deadly war on Gaza.