More than 1,000 mosques have been completely destroyed and/or damaged in Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip last year, Palestinian authorities stated on Sunday.
The Palestinian Ministry of Awqaf and Religious Affairs pointed out that 815 mosques were completely destroyed whilst 151 others partially damaged.
In addition to that the ministry stated that 19 cemeteries and three churches were also destroyed in Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza that started on 7 October 2023 and followed the following year and goes on today.
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 Anadolu.
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 Dec. 25 to Jan. 2.
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 Oct. 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.