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Over 600 mosques destroyed in Israeli onslaught on Gaza since Oct. 7

Saturday, 18 May 2024 10:35 AM [ Last Update: Saturday, 18 May 2024 10:35 AM ]

A mosque destroyed in Israeli strikes during the conflict lies in ruin, amid a temporary truce between the Palestinian resistance movement Hamas and Israel, in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip on November 29, 2023. (Photo by Reuters)

The Ministry of Endowments and Religious Affairs in the Gaza Strip says Israeli military forces have fully destroyed or damaged hundreds of mosques in the besieged coastal territory ever since the Tel Aviv regime started its bloody onslaught in early October last year.

The ministry announced in a statement that the total number of mosques completely destroyed in the current conflict stands at 604, while another 200 have been partially destroyed.

The statement said Israeli troops have also desecrated at least 60 cemeteries during their ground invasion of Gaza, and used bulldozers to dig up graves and steal the bodies of more than 1,000 people.

It said 15 buildings belonging to the Ministry of Endowments and Religious Affairs were destroyed during the Israeli aggression, among them the headquarters of the ministry, the main office of the Holy Quran Radio in Gaza City, the Endowment Management office in Khan Younis, and a repository for documents and manuscripts.

The statement said that 91 employees of the ministry have been killed in the Israeli attacks.

Israel launched its onslaught against the Gaza Strip, targeting hospitals, residences, and houses of worship, after Palestinian resistance movements launched a surprise attack, dubbed Operation al-Aqsa Storm, against the usurping entity on October 7 last year.

At least 35,386 Palestinians have been killed, most of them women and children, according to the latest health ministry update in Gaza on Saturday. More than 1.7 million people have been internally displaced during the war as well.

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