Outrage after Israel destroys Gaza's largest and oldest mosque

Gaza residents on Friday voiced grief and outrage after Israel bombed the enclave's medieval Omari Mosque, causing widespread damage to a cherished landmark.

Footage and images posted on social media on Friday appeared to show the Great Omari Mosque, the largest and oldest in Gaza City, reduced to rubble. They showed the fallen walls and roofs of the mosque and a huge crack at the bottom of the stone minaret.

Only the minaret appeared to be intact, with the surroundings shattered. The site has been a Christian or Muslim holy site since at least the fifth century.

"The crime of targeting and destroying archaeological sites should spur the world and UNESCO into action to preserve this great civilisational and cultural heritage," Gaza’s Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities said.

It is estimated that 104 mosques have been razed since the start of the Israeli assault on Gaza on October 7.

Ahmed Nemer, 45, a tailor who lived on the street next to the Omari Mosque, told Reuters he was speechless after seeing the photographs of the damaged building from south Gaza, where he fled to seek shelter from the bombardment.

"I have been praying there and playing around it all through my childhood," he said, accusing Israel of "trying to wipe out our memories".

Mohammad Rajab, a taxi driver from Gaza City who has also fled to the south from his home a few hundred metres (yards) from the mosque, spoke of it as the city's most important local landmark. "This is barbaric," he said.

The Omari mosque, named after Islam's second caliph Omar, is the oldest and biggest in the tiny Palestinian enclave, which has been under Israeli bombardment since 7 October.

Israel's relentless assault has killed more than 17,000 Palestinians, including over 7,000 children, and has laid waste to entire city districts including much civilian infrastructure.