GAZA, (PIC)
Israeli occupation forces (IOF) destroyed the second largest historical mosque in Gaza, turning it into rubble, Quds Press reported.
Israeli warplanes fired on Wednesday several missiles at the Ibn Uthman Mosque, in the Al-Shujaiya neighborhood, in central Gaza City, turning it into rubble.
According to specialists, the mosque is the second largest archaeological mosque in the Gaza Strip after the Great Al-Omari Mosque, in the Al-Daraj neighborhood in the center of the city, and proof of the ancient history of Gaza City.
Residents of the Al-Shujaiya neighborhood refer to the mosque as the Great Mosque due to its large area and location in the neighborhood’s main market, which had a great impact on their lives since its founding more than 600 years ago.
The Ibn Uthman Mosque had been subjected to attacks and demolition during previous wars on the Gaza Strip, and was considered a center of confrontations with the IOF during the First Intifada that broke out in December 1987.
The mosque, which was built in the Mamluk style, is 2,000 square meters in size, of which 400 square meters is the area of its main courtyard, and it has two gates overlooking the Al-Shujaiya market.
The IOF has been waging a massive attack on the Al-Shujaiya neighborhood for almost a week, which is the third attack since the war on Gaza began 9 months ago and which displaced about 150,000 people of its residents, according to latest statistics.
