Palestinians Hold First Friday Prayers Of Ramadan By Ruins Of Mosque Destroyed By Israel
"The whole land is the land of God, so we can pray anywhere. The occupation can't deprive us of that," said a father of six, referring to Israel.
Palestinians in Gaza held the first Friday prayers of Ramadan outside the ruins of a mosque levelled in Israel's offensive
Al-Farooq Mosque is one of the hundreds the Hamas-run authorities say have been damaged or destroyed in Israeli attacks since October last year.
Scores of worshippers knelt in rows in the street by the wreckage of the Al-Farooq Mosque in Rafah, laying out their prayer mats in the shadow of a white minaret marking all that remains of the otherwise flattened building.
Palestinians perform first Friday prayers during Ramadan near the ruins of the destroyed Al-Farooq Mosque on 15 March.
Image via Mohammed Salem/Reuters
The words "Al-Farooq Mosque" were painted on the side of a marquee in the street serving as a temporary place of worship, amid surrounding urban desolation.
Well over a million Palestinians are crammed into Rafah, seeking sanctuary from the Israeli military campaign that has laid waste to much of the Gaza Strip since it began in October in response to the 7 October Hamas attack on Israel.
Abu Jehad, a lawyer who fled to Rafah at the southern end of the narrow, densely populated enclave from his home in Gaza City in the north, said he had attended Friday prayers in a field.
"The whole land is the land of God, so we can pray anywhere. The occupation can't deprive us of that," said the father of six, referring to Israel.
People were praying in tents, damaged mosques, and the streets, said Abu Jehad, who was reached by phone.
Palestinians walk on the day of the first Friday prayers during Ramadan near the ruins of a destroyed mosque.
Image via Mohammed Salem/Reuters
Friday prayers are particularly well attended during Ramadan, a holy month when Muslims fast from sunrise to sunset, eating, praying, and spending time with family and friends
US, Egyptian, and Qatari mediators tried but failed to secure a ceasefire in time for the start of Ramadan, which began at the outset of this week.
The Hamas-run Gaza government media office says Israeli attacks have completely destroyed 223 mosques and partially destroyed another 289, while Israeli attacks have also demolished three churches.
The Israeli military did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Ramadan's first Friday prayers in Gaza.
The war in Gaza was triggered when Hamas fighters stormed into Israel in an attack that killed 1,200 people and resulted in another 253 being taken hostage, according to Israeli tallies.
Israel's ground and air offensive since then has killed more than 30,000 people, according to health authorities in Gaza.
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