Israeli Strikes Destroy Ibn Taymiyyah Mosque as Palestinians Mark Eid al-Adha in Gaza

Palestinians marked Eid al-Adha in the Gaza Strip amid shattered ruins, with hundreds of worshippers praying beside destroyed buildings, collapsed roads and rubble-strewn streets under an ongoing Israeli siege and blockade.

“About 140,000 worshippers held Eid al-Adha prayers today, Wednesday, at the Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied Jerusalem under Israeli restrictions that prevented tens of thousands from reaching the mosque, according to estimates by the Islamic Endowments Department”

Al-Jazeera Net

In Deir al-Balah, dozens of worshippers gathered among the ruins of the Ibn Taymiyyah Mosque, which was destroyed in Israeli strikes, as families performed prayers in open spaces.

Al-Jazeera Net

The Gaza coverage also tied the holiday’s rituals to the war’s impact on livestock, with local trade bodies estimating that more than 90 percent of livestock farms have been destroyed or damaged since October 2023.

Maktoob said Israeli restrictions on the entry of live animals have deepened shortages, leaving markets with very limited livestock and pushing prices far beyond the reach of ordinary families.

The same source reported that the war has prevented Palestinians in Gaza from undertaking Hajj for the third straight year due to continued restrictions on movement and closed exit points.

In occupied East Jerusalem, large crowds marked Eid al-Adha at Al-Aqsa Mosque despite tight Israeli security measures, with the Islamic Waqf Department estimating attendance at 140,000 worshippers.

Daily Sabah said worshippers gathered in the courtyards and prayer halls of Al-Aqsa Mosque, while a heavy Israeli police presence was deployed across the Old City, including narrow alleyways, checkpoints, and the main gates leading into the mosque compound.

Anadolu Ajansı

Anadolu Ajansı likewise reported that “Some 140,000 Muslim worshippers filled the courtyards and prayer halls of Al-Aqsa Mosque,” and described an Eid-al-Adha first day held under a heavy presence of Israeli police around the Old City.

In Hebron, Middle East Monitor described a sharply restricted Eid al-Adha at the Ibrahimi Mosque, where the Israeli army closed the gates and searched worshippers at entrances, forcing some to head to other mosques after delays in entering.

Hebron Governor Khaled Dudin told Anadolu that “Eid al-Adha is the greatest holiday for Muslims, but the occupation forces closed the gates of the Ibrahimi Mosque and fired stun grenades at worshippers,” and said attendance did not exceed 30% of usual.

Beyond prayer attendance, the Gaza coverage described deadly attacks during the Eid period, with WAFA reporting that four Palestinians, including a woman, were killed and several others injured after Israeli warplanes bombed a residential building west of Gaza City.

“As Britain's sanctions on three Georgia-registered companies made headlines on 26 May, the Georgian side of the story was already complicated”

AnewZ

Maktoob also said thousands of Palestinian detainees are marking Eid al-Adha in Israeli prisons under harsh conditions and isolation from their families, while Palestinian worshippers continued prayers at the Al-Aqsa Mosque complex on Wednesday morning despite increasing access restrictions.

In its Eid al-Adha message, Hamas extended greetings to Palestinians and the wider Muslim world, saying the festival comes amid ongoing “genocide, starvation and siege” in the Gaza Strip and continued Israeli settlement expansion in the occupied West Bank and Jerusalem.

Hamas accused Israel of blocking humanitarian aid, closing border crossings and intensifying attacks on Palestinians and holy sites, and called on people across the Arab and Islamic world to use Eid to strengthen solidarity with Gaza and intensify efforts to break the siege.

Maktoob added that Israel responded to the October 7 attack by launching a genocidal war on Palestinians in Gaza, killing more than 72,800 people according to Palestinian health authorities, and that since the so-called “ceasefire” took effect on October 11, at least 906 Palestinians in Gaza have been killed.