The Ministry condemned in a statement the attack on the Omari Mosque, one of the significant archaeological and religious sites in the coastal enclave, which is home to 2.3 million people.

The text recalled that a Byzantine church was built there in the 5th century, and the current temple was built in the 13th century.

The destruction of the mosque is a direct attack on the Palestinian cultural heritage and violates all international treaties and conventions, including the 1907 Hague Convention and the 1949 Fourth Geneva Convention, the document stressed.

As other examples, the Ministry cited damage to Gaza’s oldest port, the Church of Saint Porphyrius, the Jabalya Mosque, and many historical buildings and museums.

Late last month, the NGO Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor accused the Israeli military of deliberately destroying or damaging archaeological and historical monuments in the Strip.

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