Israel has destroyed or severely damaged over 50 mosques since its assault on Gaza began, a Hamas official said Tuesday. Undersecretary of the Ministry of Endowments in Gaza, Hassan al-Saifi, said over 50 mosques have been targeted. Israel does not distinguish between targeting militants, civilians, hospitals, mosques, and cemeteries, al-Saifi told Ma’an, adding that he is afraid that schools may be targeted in the coming days. “People are buried in mass graves or in used family graves,” he said, adding that hospital morgues can no longer accommodate the growing number of casualties. Cemeteries are nearly impossible to reach due to heightened insecurity, he said. Eyewitnesses said that Israeli warplanes fired a number of missiles at Shuhada al-Aqsa mosque in downtown Gaza City reducing it to rubble. All houses surrounding the mosque were damaged due to the raid. Another raid targeted al-Farouk mosque in Rafah city, south of the Strip, locals reported. Al-Abrar mosque in Deir al-Balah in central Gaza Strip was completely destroyed in a third raid after two missiles slammed into it, local sources said.
Posted on: Wed, 23 Jul 2014 06:19:18 +0000