Hamas decries Israeli bombing of Great Omari Mosque in Gaza as 'heinous crime'

The Palestinian group Hamas on Friday strongly condemned the Israeli bombing of the Great Omari Mosque in the Gaza City, calling it a "heinous barbaric crime."

"The Israeli army bombing of the Great Omari Mosque in the Gaza City, and its destruction is a heinous barbaric crime that targeted a historical site and a religious monument of the Gaza City," Hamas said in a statement.

Hamas also said the Israeli army targeted most of Gaza's historical and archeological sites including historical mosques and churches.

The statement said these monuments and sites were "witnesses to the nobility of the great (Palestinian) people" over history.

It noted that the Israeli army has so far destroyed completely 104 mosques and three churches across the Gaza Strip including many historical ones.

According to the Palestinian news agency Safa, the Israeli army left immense damage in the Great Omari Mosque, and published photos that showed the massive damage to the mosque's walls and roofs, as well as huge cracks to the bottom of its stone minaret.

The Great Omari Mosque, located in the Daraj neighborhood in the Gaza City, is considered one of the most important and oldest mosques in Palestine and the first mosque in the Gaza Strip.

Israel resumed its military offensive on the Gaza Strip on Dec. 1 after the end of a week-long humanitarian pause with the Palestinian group Hamas.

At least 17,487 Palestinians have been killed and more than 46,480 others injured in relentless air and ground attacks on the enclave since Oct. 7 following a cross-border attack by Hamas.

The Israeli death toll in the Hamas attack stands at 1,200, according to official figures.