Gaza City, Palestinian territories. As the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan began in Gaza on Wednesday, Palestinians went to the ruins of mosques or to makeshift prayer spaces made of tarpaulins and wood, mourning the dead and the loss of places of worship.
Prayers amid destruction
In Gaza City, the dome of the destroyed Al Hassaina mosque rests on top of rubble. Its former courtyard, where worshippers once gathered, is now used by families who sleep and cook among the ruins, with washing lines strung across the area.
“I can’t bear to look at it,” said Sami Al Hissi, 61, a volunteer at the mosque, standing on rubble where rows of worshippers once stood in prayer. “We used to pray comfortably. We used to see our friends, our loved ones. Now there are no loved ones, no friends, and no mosque,” he said.
Children climbed over cracked domes and women collected laundry hung between broken columns.
Ramadan worshippers displaced
Al Hissi said the mosque had drawn worshippers from other neighbourhoods, including Shejaia and Daraj, during Ramadan. “It would be filled with thousands,” he said. “But now, where are they supposed to pray? It’s all rubble and destruction. There’s barely enough space for a hundred people.”
War and damage to religious sites
Israel launched its air and ground war in Gaza after a Hamas-led cross-border attack on October 7, 2023, that killed 1,200 people, according to Israeli tallies. Israel’s assault has killed 72,000 Palestinians, Gaza health authorities say.
The Hamas-run Gaza government media office said Israeli forces have completely destroyed 835 mosques and partially damaged 180. It said Israel has targeted churches on multiple occasions and destroyed 40 of Gaza’s 60 cemeteries.
Israel says it targets militant infrastructure and accuses Palestinian armed groups of operating in civilian areas, including mosques, an allegation Hamas denies.
How has the damage to mosques and other religious sites affected your community’s Ramadan observance?