A view of the remains of a mosque destroyed by Israeli strikes, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, in the central Gaza Strip, Dec. 8, 2023. (Credit: Doaa Rouqa)
Hamas urged UNESCO to protect historic buildings in the Gaza Strip on Friday, saying Israel's assault had left the Palestinian territory's oldest church, last hammam baths and treasured mosques in ruins.
Footage and images posted on social media on Friday appeared to show the Great Omari Mosque, the largest and oldest in Gaza City, reduced to rubble.
Only the minaret appeared to be intact, with the surroundings — which have been a Christian or Muslim holy site since at least the fifth century — shattered.
Hamas's antiquities ministry condemned the "ransacking of historical and archaeological sites" by the Israeli army, which has relentlessly bombed the Gaza Strip since Hamas militants attacked Israel on Oct. 7.
The Hamas attack, the worst in Israel's history, killed about 1,200 people, most of them civilians, Israeli officials say.
Israel's retaliatory campaign has killed almost 17,500 people in Gaza, mostly women and children, according to the latest toll from the territory's Health Ministry.
"The crime of targeting and destroying archaeological sites should spur the world and UNESCO into action to preserve this great civilizational and cultural heritage," said the Antiquities Ministry, which estimates that 104 mosques have been razed since the start of the war.
The Great Omari Mosque and the Othman bin Qashqar Mosque, also in Gaza City, were hit by air strikes on Thursday and Friday, Hamas said.
It also condemned the destruction of the Hammam al-Samara, the last Turkish-style bath in the territory, where Gazans had bathed for over 1,000 years.
Hamas said three churches had also been destroyed, including the 1,000-year-old Greek Orthodox Church of Saint Porphyrius, the oldest still active in the territory.
It stood in the heart of the historic district of Old Gaza, and was hit by a strike in late October.
Gaza's architectural heritage had already suffered during previous wars between Israel and Hamas, which has ruled the narrow territory since 2007.
Israel, for its part, has repeatedly accused Hamas of using mosques, schools and other civilian infrastructure to shield its fighters.
Hamas urged UNESCO to protect historic buildings in the Gaza Strip on Friday, saying Israel's assault had left the Palestinian territory's oldest church, last hammam baths and treasured mosques in ruins.
Footage and images posted on social media on Friday appeared to show the Great Omari Mosque, the largest and oldest in Gaza City, reduced to...