Israeli raids destroy Khan Yunis mosque in southern Gaza

GAZA CITY, Palestine

Israeli warplanes on Friday bombed the Halima Mosque in the city of Khan Yunis, in the southern Gaza Strip, leveling it to the ground, according to an Anadolu correspondent on the scene.

“The Israeli army bombed the Halima Mosque, which led to its complete destruction, in addition to widespread destruction in the targeted area,” an eyewitness told Anadolu.

Since the start of the Israeli war on the Gaza Strip, the Israeli army has completely destroyed 88 mosques, in addition to partially destroying 174 others. Israeli forces also targeted three churches, according to the government media office in Gaza.

Under the rules of war, all such civilian facilities should be off-limits to attack. Israel has claimed Palestinian group Hamas is using such buildings as bases, but so far has failed to produce any convincing evidence, according to most observers.

Over 100 Palestinians have been killed and many others injured since Israel quickly resumed attacking the Gaza Strip following the end of a multi-day humanitarian pause, the Health Ministry in Gaza said.

The pause between Israel and Hamas, which went into effect a week ago, ended on Friday morning.

*Writing by Ikram Kouachi