Israeli strikes in Gaza cause damage to almost 1,000 mosques

The Ministry of Awqaf and Religious Affairs said in a statement that 151 Muslim places of worship had been partially damaged and 815 had been completely destroyed.

According to the ministry, Israel's 2024 genocidal war on Gaza also destroyed three churches and 19 cemeteries.

In the occupied West Bank, the ministry recorded 256 settler intrusions into the flashpoint Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied East Jerusalem last year.

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 25 December to 2 January.

The ministry also documented Israeli attacks on 20 mosques in the occupied West Bank.

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 7 October 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.