In Gaza, sounds of call to prayer blend with sounds of explosions

KHAN YOUNIS, GAZA, PALESTINE - JANUARY 21: The Muslim call to prayer (adhan) mixed with the sounds of explosions while Israeli attacks continue near Al-Amal Hospital in Khan Younis, Gaza, Palestine on January 21, 2024. Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip have destroyed 1,000 mosques since Oct. 7, according to local authorities. “The reconstruction of these mosques will cost around $500 million,” Gaza’s Ministry of Endowments and Religious Affairs said in a statement. There are an estimated 1,200 mosques in the Gaza Strip. According to the ministry, more than 100 Muslim preachers have also been killed in the deadly Israeli offensive on the seaside enclave. “The Israeli occupation continues to destroy dozens of cemeteries and dig up graves, violating their sanctity…and stealing the corpses inside, in a clear challenge to international charters and human rights,” the statement said. There was no comment from the Israeli authorities on the accusation. According to the statement, a church, several administrative buildings, Quranic schools, and a bank headquarters were destroyed in the Israeli onslaught. “We appeal to the Arab and Islamic nations and people of conscience to fulfill their responsibilities towards the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip,” it added. Israel has pounded the Gaza Strip since a cross-border attack by Hamas on Oct. 7, which Tel Aviv says killed nearly 1,200 people. At least 25,105 Palestinians have since been killed, mostly women and children, and 62,681 injured, according to Palestinian health authorities. The Israeli offensive has left 85% of Gaza’s population internally displaced amid acute shortages of food, clean water and medicine, while 60% of the enclave’s infrastructure was damaged or destroyed, according to the UN. (Footage by Abed Rahim Khatib/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)