Israeli settlers burn mosque north of Salfit in West Bank
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Settlers set fire to a mosque in the village of Marda, north of Salfit in the West Bank, writing racist slogans on its walls.
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Fire debris on the walls of the Bar al-Walidain mosque in the village of Marda, occupied West Bank, on December 20, 2024. (ScreenGrab/Social Media)
At dawn Friday, Israeli settlers set fire to a mosque in the village of Marda, located north of Salfit in the West Bank.
Local sources told the Palestinian WAFA news agency that the settlers raided the eastern part of the village, set fire to the Birr al-Walidain mosque, and vandalized its walls with racist slogans.
The sources further reported that villagers managed to extinguish the flames before they could spread throughout the mosque, with the damage confined to its entrance.
Sheikh Othman al-Din, the Director of Salfit Endowments, condemned the attack on the mosque as a criminal act against a house of God. He urged the residents to remain vigilant, fearing that settlers may repeat this cowardly act.
#فيديو
— Newpress | نيو برس (@NewpressPs) December 20, 2024
اعتداء متواصل ضد المقدسات..
قطعان المستوطنين يحرقون أجزاء من المسجد الجديد في قرية مردا شمال #سلفيت pic.twitter.com/bZTHUqXgn3
The Ministry of Endowments and Religious Affairs also called on the international community and human rights organizations to denounce these reprehensible actions and hold those responsible accountable.
In its monthly report on violations committed by the occupation and settlers against places of worship, the Ministry of Endowments documented 20 raids on the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque and 55 instances of the call to prayer being blocked at the Ibrahimi Mosque during November.
قوات الاحتلال تنتشر في محيط المسجد الذي أحرقه مستوطنون في قرية مردا قرب سلفيت. pic.twitter.com/wRJ1cWEqWo
— Ultra Palestine - الترا فلسطين (@palestineultra) December 20, 2024
During the same period, occupation forces demolished the al-Shiyah Mosque in the town of Jabal al-Mukabber in occupied al-Quds, a structure that had been under construction for 20 years.
Additionally, settlers desecrated the Khirbet Marah al-Baqar Mosque in the town of Dura in the al-Khalil Governorate.
The occupation forces also damaged the Abu Bakr al-Siddiq Mosque in Nur Shams camp, as well as the Shuhada Mosque in Tulkarm camp.
They demolished a prayer hall for the Arab al-Ara'ra community near the town of Jaba', east of occupied Al-Quds, and a section of the Abu Bakr al-Siddiq Mosque in the Far’a camp in the Tubas Governorate.
Read next: Settlers storm al-Aqsa mosque; 1,490 attacks reported in WB in October
