RAMALLAH, (PIC)
The Palestinian Ministry of Awqaf and Religious Affairs said in a report on Sunday that during the year 2023, Al-Aqsa Mosque was stormed by Jewish settlers and the Israeli police 258 times, while the call to prayer was prevented 704 times at the Ibrahimi Mosque in the city of Al Khalil in the southern West Bank.
According to the ministry’s annual report, the Israeli occupation police and settlers “stormed Al-Aqsa Mosque 258 times and prevented the call to prayer 704 times at the Ibrahimi Mosque, and attacked 388 mosques in the Gaza Strip during 2023.”
The report indicated that in 2023, there was an increase in the number of mosques that were violated “as a result of what our people in the Gaza Strip have been subjected to, including an unjust war that led to the destruction of 388 mosques.”
Among the affected mosques in Gaza, the report explained that 145 mosques were completely destroyed, while 243 mosques suffered partial destruction that prevented the proper performance of prayers.
The ministry also pointed out in its report that several mosques in the West Bank were subjected to attacks and sabotage by settlers and the occupation army, especially in Al Khalil and during the continuous incursions into the cities of Jenin and Tulkarem.
It further highlighted that the Israeli occupation authorities turned Al-Aqsa Mosque and its surroundings into military barracks, especially during their various named holidays, and assaulted peaceful worshipers inside, sometimes by beating them and sometimes by arresting and deporting them.
The ministry pointed out that the Israeli forces tightened restrictions on Palestinian citizens during their attempts to enter Al-Aqsa Mosque for Friday prayers since October 7.
Since the outbreak of the Israeli genocidal war on the Gaza Strip on October 7th, the Israeli army has intensified its operations in the West Bank, including Jerusalem, expanding the incursions and raids that resulted in the killing of dozens and the arrest of thousands.
