Beyond the staggering death toll and destruction of infrastructure, Israel’s relentless bombardment of Palestine’s Gaza has left countless neighbourhoods without functioning places of worship.
Mosques, churches and clerics have been systematically targeted in what Gaza’s media office chief, Ismail al Thawabteh, told Anadolu Agency is a campaign “to silence religious voices and dismantle pillars of resilience.”
“Clerics are vital in reinforcing national identity, nurturing faith, and preserving social cohesion. Their elimination aims to sap morale and extinguish the discourse that exposes Israel’s crimes,” he said.
The destruction of centuries-old religious sites also severs Palestinians’ ties to their past, erasing history, cultural and social identity and collective memory.
Under the Rome Statute, intentional attacks on such places constitute violations of international humanitarian law.
