Gaza Residents Deplore Ruthlessly-Wrecked Ancient History
(AWP) - The remains of the Great Omary Mosque, the oldest and largest Muslim house of worship in the city of Gaza, have been dispersed in all directions during Israel’s sustained bombardment of the Gaza Strip, bearing silent witness to the violent and devastating war on the embattled enclave.
Close to the mosque, which is hundreds of years old, lay the archeological Palace of Al-Pasha, which dates back to the Mamluk era in the 13th century AD, which also saw its share of destruction and relentless war.
The magnitude of the destruction that has befallen the buildings of Gaza since October 7 is augmented day after day in waves of bombardment that are unprecedented in their density, might and length.
Tariq Haniyeh, a Palestinian citizen of Gaza, said that the Omary Mosque had been frequented by hundreds and even thousands of locals from the towns and villages of the Gaza Strip.
“The mosque was completely destroyed by the Israeli occupation army, which has wreaked havoc on all mosques in the Strip. There is not a stone left standing in any of Gaza’s mosques," he added.
The Omary Mosque got the largest share of the devastation. There is not a single copy of the Qur’an, a paper, or a prayer niche left. They killed the spirit in that mosque,” deplored Haniyeh.
Another local of Gaza City, Diya’ Al-Hattou, said that the Al-Pasha Palace had housed artefacts dating back to the era of the Prophet Muhammad.
“Those archeological pieces proved our Arabism, and the identity of the Palestinian people. When the occupation army came to this area, it destroyed all of those pieces,” he added.
“They no longer exist. This has caused frustration for the people in the area. As a local resident, I was psychologically disturbed to see the palace and the Great Omary Mosque destroyed,” noted Hattou.