RAMALLAH, (PIC)
The Ministry of Awqaf and Religious Affairs reported that the Israeli occupation army destroyed about 1,000 mosques in the Gaza Strip, while settlers stormed Al-Aqsa Mosque more than 250 times, and the call to prayer was prevented at the Ibrahimi Mosque over 670 times last year.
The ministry issued a special report on Sunday on the violations of the occupation army against Islamic and Christian holy sites in the West Bank and Gaza Strip for the year 2024.
In its report, the Ministry of Awqaf said that since the beginning of last year, the occupation has completely destroyed 815 mosques and partially destroyed 151 mosques. It also completely destroyed 19 cemeteries, violating their sanctity, exhuming graves, and removing bodies, and targeted and destroyed 3 churches in Gaza City.
Al-Aqsa Mosque
The ministry added that the Israeli occupation allowed settler gangs to invade and desecrate the Aqsa Mosque’s courtyards and platforms with 256 incursions during the past year. They practiced unusual Talmudic rituals, including “epic prostration,” which began for the first time on August 13, 2024, along with blowing the shofar.
It clarified that these Talmudic rituals have been conducted at specific places and times to reinforce the temporal and spatial division of Al-Aqsa, under the supervision and protection of occupation police who consistently prevent Al-Aqsa Mosque guards, affiliated with the Awqaf in Jerusalem, from performing their duties during these incursions.
The ministry noted that the so-called “Temple groups” facilitated celebrations of the Jewish New Year for settlers inside Al-Aqsa Mosque last year and incited “Temple Mount activists” to burn Al-Aqsa by posting a video showing the Mosque burning, accompanied by the comment: “Soon in these days.”
On the anniversary of the so-called destruction of the Temple, the ministry indicated that settlers performed collective rituals for the first time in the western area opposite the Dome of the Rock, treating the eastern area of Al-Aqsa as an unofficial “synagogue.”
The report said that the terrorist Ben Gvir invaded Al-Aqsa, supported by his extreme right-wing government, 7 times since taking office, and 4 times since the start of the war on Gaza. He issued a number of extreme right-wing statements threatening to establish a Jewish synagogue in Al-Aqsa, indicating intent to take control of it, and worked to intensify the Jewish presence by providing government support and legal cover.
The report noted that 2,567 settlers stormed the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque during the Jewish festival of Hanukkah, during which many violations occurred, the most notable being Ben Gvir’s incursion, and Rabbi Yisrael Shalita’s Talmudic rituals, including dancing, singing, and epic prostration.
Ibrahimi Mosque
Regarding the Ibrahimi Mosque, the occupation forces committed daily violations, whether by preventing the call to prayer, which reached 674 times since the beginning of the year, or through restrictions on Muslims by closing it 10 times during the same period.
The occupation also installed what is known as the “menorah” and Israeli flags on the roof and walls of the Ibrahimi Mosque and held boisterous parties and Talmudic rituals in the occupied section, while beating on doors and shouting insults. The occupation also obstructed celebrations of the Prophet’s birthday inside the sanctuary.
The report indicated that the number of worshippers in the Ibrahimi Mosque during 2024 reached only 236,530, which is considered lower than expected due to the strict measures imposed by the occupation, including closing the Mosque’s entrances since October 7, 2023, which hindered large numbers of worshippers from accessing it.
A total of 3,381 Israeli soldiers invaded the Ibrahimi Mosque during the year, in a blatant violation of the religious sanctity of the place, provoking the feelings of Muslims. The occupation intensified checkpoints around the sanctuary and closed all its entrances, leaving only the market gate, which increased the difficulty for Palestinians to reach it.
The report pointed out that the Ibrahimi Mosque received only 12,663 tourists during 2024.
Places of worship
Regarding other places of worship and mosques, the Awqaf reported that the occupation attacked 20 mosques in various areas of the West Bank, with a clear focus on the Tulkarem and Jenin governorates, either through partial destruction of facilities or by desecrating them with writing and mocking Islamic rituals.
The Ministry recorded several violations against holy places and Christian worshippers, as extremist Jewish religious groups assaulted and spat on Christian pilgrims in occupied Jerusalem, specifically in the area of the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. They also restricted their access during Christian holidays and prevented them from accessing the Churches of the Nativity and the Resurrection.
The Ministry called on the international community to force the occupation to stop these increasingly frequent violations, especially amid the genocide war in the Gaza Strip.
