Israel-Gaza war: Counting the destruction of religious sites

Source: BBC

Israel-Gaza war: Counting the destruction of religious sites

30 January 2024

By Reha Kansara and Ahmed Nour
Global religion reporter and BBC Monitoring

Gaza is home to some of the oldest churches and mosques in the world, but many have not escaped the widespread destruction of Israel's military offensive.

Of 117 religious sites which were reportedly damaged or destroyed between 7 October, when Israel's campaign began, and 31 December, the BBC has verified 74 cases. Seventy-two are mosques and two are churches. Israel's offensive was triggered by Hamas's unprecedented attack on 7 October.

In its investigation, the BBC used satellite imagery and user generated content to examine evidence from both before and after buildings were hit.

In a statement, Hamas - the Palestinian Islamist group which rules Gaza - said 378 mosques and three churches had been hit up to 9 January, though this figure has not been independently verified.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) says Hamas fighters are using places of worship for cover and as places from which to launch attacks - something Hamas denies.

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