Takbeer Echoes in Gaza’s Sky After Two Years, Friday Prayers Held Amid Mosque Ruins
Gaza | October 18, 2025 | CIP Media Report:
For the first time in months, the people of Gaza gathered on Friday to perform congregational prayers on the ruins of mosques destroyed during Israel’s two-year-long military onslaught. The voices of the call to prayer and chants of “Allahu Akbar” once again echoed through neighborhoods that had remained silent under the weight of destruction.
According to Gaza’s Government Media Office, Israeli bombardment has so far completely destroyed 835 mosques and partially damaged more than 180 others, including several historic sites. Religious landmarks that once stood for centuries were reduced to rubble as Israeli airstrikes targeted not only homes and infrastructure but also places of worship.
Eyewitnesses told Anadolu Agency that residents cleared debris with their bare hands, leveled the ground, and laid out old cloth to create prayer rows. In streets that had witnessed silence and grief for months, worshippers stood shoulder to shoulder, reviving the spirit of communal faith amidst the ruins.
Gaza resident Ghalib al-Nimr described the experience as deeply emotional:
“After months of deprivation, standing among the rubble of our mosque brought us peace. This is the same place where we lost loved ones, yet today we bowed to God again. Words cannot describe this feeling.”
Another resident, Abu Assi, said: “Praying together after such a long time is a blessed moment. We prostrated on the ruins of our mosques, but our faith is stronger than ever.”
Over the past two years, Israel has dropped more than 200,000 tons of explosives on Gaza, leaving over 90% of the territory’s infrastructure destroyed. Nearly two million Palestinians were forcibly displaced, with many losing their homes entirely.
Among the historic mosques destroyed were Gaza City’s Great Omari Mosque, the Sayyid Hashim Mosque in the al-Daraj neighborhood, the Katib al-Wilaya Mosque, and the Omari Mosque in Jabalia. Churches too were not spared: the Greek Orthodox Church of Saint Porphyrius, the Church of the Holy Family (the only Catholic church in Gaza), and the Baptist Church were all severely damaged or demolished.
Friday’s prayers took place just days after a ceasefire was declared on October 10, marking the end of two years of what Palestinians describe as genocidal war. During that period, nearly 68,000 Palestinians were killed and over 170,000 wounded, the majority of them women and children.
For Gaza’s people, returning to prayer—even on the rubble of their mosques—was not just an act of worship, but a powerful symbol of resilience, unity, and faith.
