Israel damages 1,000 mosques, 19 cemeteries, 3 churches in Gaza

Nearly 1,000 mosques were damaged in Israeli attacks in Gaza last year, Palestinian authorities have said.

In a statement on Sunday, the Ministry of Awqaf and Religious Affairs said 815 Muslim worship places were 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 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 December 25 to January 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, 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 Defence 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.