9 December 2023
The Great Omari Mosque, the largest and oldest mosque in the Gaza Strip, has been hit by an Israeli airstrike, probably happened on December 7, Thursday, according to information received from our colleagues on the ground in Gaza.
As we mentioned in the preliminary evidences’ report issued by ICOMOS Palestine on 30 November 2023, this mosque was subjected to an aerial bombardment that led to damage to the minaret. Unfortunately, we have received new confirmed information about a second attack on the mosque. Thus, this mosque was attacked twice after October 2023, as far as we know.
However, this attack is considered horrific due to the great destruction it caused, as shown in the attached photos and raw video.
Israel’s successive bombardments of Gaza have deliberately destroyed many important parts of its rich architectural heritage.
Such destructions are condemned by the 1954 Hague Convention, the Fourth Geneva Convention of 1949. In addition to the 1972 World Heritage Convention and other resolutions. The military aggression on Gaza is a clear violation of the UNESCO declaration against intentional destruction of cultural and natural heritage.
The Photographs and videos taken by our colleagues from بلدية غزة – Municipality of Gaza during the truce, and after airstrike on 7 December 2023.