Great Omari Mosque: Gaza's Oldest Mosque Destroyed — Israeli Official Says Hamas Nukhba Fighters Used It as Cover
On December 8, 2023, an Israeli strike largely destroyed Gaza's Great Omari Mosque — one of the oldest mosques in the region, dating to the 7th century. Israeli officials stated that Nukhba battalion fighters (the elite Hamas unit that carried out the October 7 massacres) regularly used the mosque for cover, and that a tunnel shaft used by those fighters ran near the structure. Coverage focused primarily on cultural heritage loss; the connection to the October 7 perpetrators received comparatively little analytical attention.
The Great Omari Mosque in Gaza City is one of the oldest in the region, with origins tracing to the early Islamic period (7th century CE). On December 8, 2023, an Israeli strike largely destroyed the structure — only the lower half of the minaret and some exterior walls remained standing.
Israeli Justification
An Israeli official, speaking anonymously to NPR in a preliminary assessment that has not been independently verified, said that members of the Nukhba battalion — Hamas's elite force, responsible for the October 7 massacres including the Nova festival massacre and the kibbutz attacks — regularly used the mosque for cover during military operations. A tunnel shaft used by those fighters ran near the structure.
The Nukhba battalion connection is significant context. These were not generic Hamas fighters but the same unit that carried out the deadliest single-day massacre of Jews since the Holocaust two months earlier.
Media Coverage
NPR framing
NPR's report ("Israeli strike leaves Gaza's oldest mosque in ruins," December 9, 2023) covered the strike primarily as a cultural heritage loss, mentioning the tunnel justification. The piece noted ICOM UK's condemnation of cultural site destruction.
The Nukhba battalion connection — that the people using the mosque for cover were the same fighters who massacred 1,200 Israelis on October 7 — was, in our review, rarely emphasized in coverage.
Under international humanitarian law, civilian and religious structures used for military purposes lose their protected status. If the Israeli official's account is accurate, using the mosque as military cover would itself violate international humanitarian law; the claim has not been independently verified.