Israeli army storms mosques in Nablus, sets fire to historic Al-Nasr Mosque

By Qais Abu Samra and Ikram Kouachi

RAMALLAH, Palestine (AA) - The Israeli army on Friday raided several mosques in the city of Nablus, in the northern occupied West Bank, and set fire to the historic Al-Nasr Mosque in the Old City.

According to the Palestinian official news agency Wafa, large Israeli military forces stormed multiple mosques, vandalizing their interiors.

The agency reported that Israeli forces deliberately set fire to the Al-Nasr Mosque and blocked firefighters from extinguishing the blaze.

Eyewitnesses told Anadolu that the fire completely destroyed the imam’s quarters, damaging the mosque’s walls and carpets.

Al-Nasr Mosque is one of Nablus’s most significant historical landmarks, originally built as a Roman-era church before being converted into a mosque in 1187.

The Palestinian Ministry of Religious Affairs condemned the Israeli raids on Old City mosques and the deliberate burning of the Al-Nasr Mosque.

In a statement, the ministry said, “Israeli forces stormed Al-Nasr Mosque in Bab al-Saha in the Old City at dawn today, set it on fire, and prevented Nablus municipal firefighters from extinguishing the blaze, causing extensive destruction.”

“Israeli forces raided several mosques in the Old City without warning, desecrating their interiors,” it added.

Nablus Endowments Director Nasser Al-Salman also denounced the “brutal Israeli assault” on Nablus’s mosques.

“Such actions have been unprecedented since the Nakba of 1948, and they reflect Israel’s blatant disregard for religious, moral, and international norms that guarantee the right to worship and access holy sites,” he said, according to the statement.

Salman urged human rights and legal organizations to take immediate action to prevent Israel from continuing its violations against religious and historical sites.

Tension has been running high across the West Bank, where at least 930 Palestinians have been killed and nearly 7,000 others injured in attacks by the Israeli army and illegal settlers since the start of the Gaza war on Oct. 7, 2023, according to the Health Ministry.

In July, the International Court of Justice declared Israel’s long-standing occupation of Palestinian territories illegal, calling for the evacuation of all settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.