Al Mayadeen English

  • Ar
  • Es
  • x
Al Mayadeen English

Slogan

  • News
    • Politics
    • Economy
    • Sports
    • Arts&Culture
    • Health
    • Miscellaneous
    • Technology
    • Environment
  • Articles
    • Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Blog
    • Features
  • Videos
    • NewsFeed
    • Video Features
    • Explainers
    • TV
    • Digital Series
  • Infographs
  • In Pictures
  • • LIVE
News
  • Politics
  • Economy
  • Sports
  • Arts&Culture
  • Health
  • Miscellaneous
  • Technology
  • Environment
Articles
  • Opinion
  • Analysis
  • Blog
  • Features
Videos
  • NewsFeed
  • Video Features
  • Explainers
  • TV
  • Digital Series
Infographs
In Pictures
  • Africa
  • Asia
  • Asia-Pacific
  • Europe
  • Latin America
  • MENA
  • Palestine
  • US & Canada
BREAKING
Leaders of the United States, Egypt, Qatar, and Turkey sign a ceasefire agreement in Gaza.
Trump arrives in Sharm el-Sheikh
Israeli PM's office: PM informed Trump he would not attend Sharm el-Sheikh Summit on account of Jewish holidays.
Israeli media: Netanyahu makes last-minute decision to cancel trip to Sharm el-Sheikh.
Al Mayadeen's correspondent: Large crowds gather in Khan Younis to welcome the liberated Palestinian detainees, waving flags of Hamas and Islamic Jihad in celebration
Buses of released prisoners arrive in Ramallah
Israeli media: Netanyahu gifts Trump a "Golden Dove".
Israeli media: Netanyahu will take part in Sharm el-Sheikh Summit.
Trump's Air Force One lands in Tel Aviv
Al-Qassam: To our free prisoners: Gaza, its Resistance, have given their most precious possessions, have striven with all their might to break your chains; we pledge that your cause will remain at the top of our national priorities until you are all freed.

Swift accountability for cultural genocide

  • Hannan Hussain Hannan Hussain
  • Source: Al Mayadeen English
  • 26 Oct 2024 15:28
5 Min Read

"Israel’s" underlying goals are to empower illegal Zionist settler violence in the occupied West Bank and wants the world to overlook its identity theft and demolition in Gaza.

Listen
  • x
  • Swift accountability for cultural genocide
    Brazen attacks on Palestinian museums, mosques, libraries, and centuries-old churches are in clear violation of the 1954 Hague Convention (Illustrated by Batoul Chamas; Al Mayadeen English)

In a scathing new report, the Palestinian Ministry of Endowments detailed a staggering rise in Israeli attacks on religious sites in Gaza. This includes the destruction of over 600 mosques and damage to 214 more since the post-October 7 genocide began. "Israel’s" bombardment should be called for what it is: a deliberate attempt to tear away at Gaza’s religious and cultural identity. The campaign is born out of religious hatred, making it imperative to focus accountability on "Israel’s" far-right government. 

Consider the Rome Statute. It declares deliberate attacks against religious and historic sites as major crimes and carries the consent of dozens of nations. And yet, the international community has failed to call out "Israel" for waging a cultural genocide for over a year. The Israeli regime has spared no effort in destroying a majority of mosques in the Gaza Strip and extended its brutality campaign to 79% of core administrative and educational headquarters. These glaring statistics shatter "Israel’s" deniability and further reinforce South Africa’s stance that "Israel" is pushing to exterminate the cultural make-up of Palestinians. Deep down, the Zionist regime fears that these historical landmarks will reinforce Palestinians’ right to their land and sees their annihilation as a major occupation imperative.

Therefore, it is critical to end impunity for the genocidal regime. "Israel’s" underlying goals are to empower illegal Zionist settler violence in the occupied West Bank and wants the world to overlook its identity theft and demolition in Gaza. Not anymore: it is completely guilty of stealing thousands of Palestinian artifacts and using targeted demolition to deflect criminal actions. This puts the onus on the international community to end its double standards on cultural property protection. For instance, brazen attacks on Palestinian museums, mosques, libraries, and centuries-old churches are in clear violation of the 1954 Hague Convention and would never be tolerated on Western soil. Thus, there is a need to move beyond cosmetic condemnations to ensure accountability with the full force of the law. Palestinian cultural and religious sites are powerful symbols of resistance to the genocidal regime, making it critical for international organizations, justice advocates, and Islamic institutes to press for accountability at all costs.

Related News

Trump’s Gaza Proposal Isn’t a Peace Plan, It Repackages the War

On the edge of the abyss: A story of displacement, survival from massacre

The report’s findings also carry a powerful message on illegal settler violence. The al-Aqsa Mosque was raided over 260 times during the course of the genocide, and illegal Zionist settlers have openly pursued desecration. Given that extremist Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir has helped expand the scale of atrocities beyond Gaza, this is occupation terrorism in full flow. It reveals a criminal disregard for the holy site and growing confidence to push the region toward a religious war. Unless Israeli provocations cease, it is preparing the ground for significant resistance that would pin all future costs on the occupation itself. “The war has left more than 50,000 martyrs and missing persons, more than 96,000 wounded and injured, and destroyed mosques, cemeteries, administrative headquarters, and endowment assets,” stated the report. “The total cost of losses and damages the Ministry of Endowments suffered has reached approximately $350 million thus far.”

Despite Resistance calls to hold the genocidal regime to account, international refusal is reprehensible. Where are Western champions of rights and liberties as "Israel" violates the laws of war and kills scores of preachers and imams? Their criminal silence helps entrench the illegal occupation and facilitates the theft of Palestinian identity. These nations play into the hands of extremist occupation officials who seek to fuel religious hate and use it to normalize widespread religio-cultural destruction in Gaza. Without opting to hold the regime to account, Western states remain complicit in "Israel’s" vicious colonial aggression campaign. It contradicts their so-called commitment to international law, which fails to come through as a cultural genocide rages ahead.

Note that Gaza’s cultural, religious, and historical identity is extremely sacred. The region has served at the crossroads of Eurasian and African trade, while cultural, ancestral, and heritage assets challenge "Israel’s" condemnable “greater” occupation vision. With more documented proof of Israeli bombardment on display, major Muslim powers have a significant stake in pushing against "Israel’s" cultural genocide at the International Court of Justice. Brutal scenes of excavating graves and mutilation add to the horrors of a deliberate extermination campaign, making it imperative to support South Africa’s charge at the World Court. “The Israeli occupation continues to violate all religious taboos and international and humanitarian laws by continuously attacking the Gaza Strip, targeting people, trees, and stones in a clear war of genocide in full view of the entire world,” added the report.

These are the same occupation forces that have burned copies of the Holy Quran and extended their criminal intent toward the intense destruction of worship sites.

For all the nations still hellbent on looking the other way, let it be known that condemnation without resolve carries zero merit.

The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect Al Mayadeen’s editorial stance.
  • Gaza Strip
  • Operation Al-Aqsa Flood
  • Israel
  • Israeli occupation forces
  • Gaza genocide
  • Israeli occupation
  • Gaza
Hannan Hussain

Hannan Hussain

Writer and author.

War on Gaza

War on Gaza

Most Read

All
Barrack explicitly asserted that the US is supplying the Lebanese army to fight its own people, even laughing at the idea that this support is intended to confront "Israel". (Al Mayadeen English; Illustrated by Zeinab el-Hajj)

Why the US is so open about its intentions for Lebanese civil war

  • Opinion
  • 30 Sep 2025
All these decades and the billions of dollars spent by the Zionist Lobby on its propaganda is being rapidly undone, all thanks to the Israeli murder machine exposing itself. (Al Mayadeen English; Illustrated by Zeinab el-Hajj)

Israeli seizure of social media is a declaration of defeat

  • Opinion
  • 6 Oct 2025
There is a great uncertainty over how the president will use the remaining three years of his term, to say nothing about his prospects for re-election. (Al Mayadeen English; Illustrated by Batoul Chamas)

Iranian opponents of diplomacy have definitively won the debate

  • Opinion
  • 4 Oct 2025
Graham’s Middle East vs. reality on the ground: Hezbollah, the undefeatable Resistance

Graham’s Middle East vs. reality on the ground: Hezbollah, the undefeatable Resistance

  • Blog
  • 8 Oct 2025

Coverage

All
Gaza: An Epic of Resilience and Valor

More from this writer

All
US engagement with Mali junta exposes double standards

US engagement with Mali junta exposes double standards

Iran's opposition to the NPT is justified due to the E3’s glaring silence on actual challenges to nuclear security in the region. (Al Mayadeen English; Illustrated by Zeinab el-Hajj)

Iran and the NPT: Opposition justified

Regional peace with the occupation a recipe for disaster

Regional peace with the occupation a recipe for disaster

Countries witness to Netanyahu’s blatant Gaza takeover pledge need to put their commitments into action. (Al Mayadeen English; Illustrated by Batoul Chamas)

Why Netanyahu’s Gaza takeover merits substantial pushback

Al Mayadeen English

Al Mayadeen is an Arab Independent Media Satellite Channel.

All Rights Reserved

  • x
  • Privacy Policy
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Authors
Android
iOS