TOP 10 CHURCHES AND MOSQUES ATTACKED OR DESTROYED BY ISRAEL

 

TOP 10 CHURCHES AND MOSQUES ATTACKED OR DESTROYED BY ISRAEL

There is a tendency to see what is happening in Palestine and Lebanon simply as a conflict between Muslims and Zionists.

It is not.

Muslims form the majority of the population suffering the destruction, particularly in Gaza and southern Lebanon. But these lands are also home to some of the oldest Christian communities in the world.

For the vast majority of their history spanning hundreds of years, Muslims, Christians and Jews lived in these lands in peace - sharing the same towns, streets, markets and sacred geography. While conflicts did flare up from time to time, they were the exception rather than the rule; peaceful coexistence was the enduring baseline of daily life.

In fact, many may not realise that even today, Lebanon offers a remarkable example of Christian-Muslim power-sharing. By convention, its President is a Maronite Christian, its Prime Minister a Sunni Muslim, and its Speaker of Parliament a Shia Muslim. Parliamentary seats are divided equally between Christians and Muslims, ensuring that Lebanon's major communities share responsibility rather than allowing one to dominate.

This shared history is important because when a land is attacked, occupied or its people displaced, it is not only one religious community that suffers. The homes, neighbourhoods, institutions and places of worship built by generations of different communities are caught in the destruction too.

Churches have been attacked. Mosques have been destroyed. Ancient religious buildings have been damaged. Christian communities have been displaced alongside Muslim communities.

This conflict must therefore be understood beyond religion alone. At its heart are questions of land, occupation, displacement, settlements, security, sovereignty and ultimately who controls the territory.

The destruction of religious heritage allows us to see another dimension of what is being lost. Some of these buildings have stood for hundreds of years. Some belong to traditions stretching back almost two millennia.

Here are 10 important Christian sites and 10 important Muslim sites in Palestine and Lebanon that have been attacked, damaged or destroyed during Israeli military operations in recent years.

TOP 10 CHRISTIAN HERITAGE SITES

1. Saint Porphyrios Greek Orthodox Church - Gaza City, Palestine

One of Gaza's oldest active churches, tracing its Christian history to the fifth century. An Israeli strike in October 2023 hit a compound building where displaced Christians were sheltering, killing at least 17 people. Israel stated its target was nearby Hamas infrastructure.

2. Saint George Melkite Catholic Church - Derdghaya, Lebanon

This historic church in southern Lebanon was devastated during Israeli attacks in October 2024, badly damaging the complex and surrounding facilities.

3. Saint George Melkite Catholic Church - Yaroun, Lebanon

Part of southern Lebanon's longstanding Christian presence, this heritage-listed church was destroyed during Israeli military operations in 2024.

4. Salvatorian Sisters' Convent - Yaroun, Lebanon

This Catholic complex included a convent and former school. Israeli forces destroyed the complex in 2026. Israel alleged Hezbollah military activity there, a claim strongly rejected by Catholic authorities.

5. Melkite Greek Catholic Church - Tyre, Lebanon

Tyre is one of Christianity's ancient centres in the Levant. The UN Human Rights Office reported that a Melkite Greek Catholic church there was destroyed or severely damaged during Israeli operations.

6. Our Lady of the Assumption Church - Nabatieh, Lebanon

Serving Nabatieh's longstanding Christian community, this Melkite Catholic church and its parish buildings suffered significant damage from Israeli strikes.

7. Holy Family Catholic Church - Gaza City, Palestine

Gaza's only Roman Catholic parish became a refuge for hundreds of civilians. An Israeli tank strike in July 2025 killed three people and injured others, including its parish priest. Israel said the strike was accidental.

8. Gaza Baptist Church - Gaza City, Palestine

Partially destroyed in earlier bombardment and damaged again during Israeli bombing in late 2023, this church represents Gaza's small, diverse Palestinian Christian community.

9. Saint John the Baptist Church - Sarda, Lebanon

This church was badly affected during Israeli military operations and demolitions around the village.

10. Christian Church at Alma al-Shaab - Lebanon

Alma al-Shaab is one of southern Lebanon's historic Christian communities near the Israeli border. Its religious property suffered damage amid extensive destruction in the village.

These are not simply buildings. They represent communities whose presence in Palestine and Lebanon predates the modern State of Israel by many centuries.

TOP 10 MUSLIM HERITAGE SITES

The destruction of Muslim religious heritage has been considerably greater numerically, with hundreds of mosques in Gaza alone reportedly damaged or destroyed.

1. Great Omari Mosque - Gaza City, Palestine

Perhaps Gaza's most important historic mosque, its site carries centuries of religious history. Incorporating a former Byzantine and Crusader church, it was expanded under the Mamluks and Ottomans before much of it was destroyed by bombardment.

2. Ibn Uthman Mosque - Gaza City, Palestine

One of Gaza's key historic mosques, principally dating from the Mamluk period. UNESCO has verified damage to the site.

3. Zofor Domri Mosque - Gaza City, Palestine

Another important monument of Gaza's medieval Islamic heritage that has suffered UNESCO-verified damage.

4. Prophet Benjamin Shrine and Mosque - Mhaibib, Lebanon

UN documentation describes this shrine as approximately 2,000 years old. The shrine and adjoining religious structures were destroyed during Israeli operations in 2024.

5. Historic Yaroun Mosque - Lebanon

Approximately 300 years old, this historic mosque was destroyed during Israeli operations, as documented by UN experts.

6. Great Mosque of Bint Jbeil - Lebanon

An important historic mosque in one of southern Lebanon's best-known towns, which suffered severe destruction alongside its surrounding urban area.

7. Shrine of Shimon al-Safa - Chamaa, Lebanon

This unusual site crosses religious traditions, associated locally with Simon Peter or Simon the Zealot. The shrine and historic complex have suffered major damage.

8. Ahel El-Quran Mosque - Dhayra, Lebanon

This mosque was destroyed using manually placed explosives, with Amnesty International verifying the destruction through video and satellite imagery.

9. Noble Messenger Mosque - Dhayra, Lebanon

Described as the village's oldest mosque, it was blown up during Israeli military operations, with Amnesty International verifying video of its destruction.

10. Mosques of Aita Ash-Shaab - Lebanon

Amnesty International's satellite analysis found four mosques destroyed as large sections of Aita Ash-Shaab were razed during operations.

The numbers tell us something important.

This is not simply the destruction of Muslim heritage. It is the destruction of part of the accumulated cultural and religious heritage of the Holy Land and the Levant.

Muslim heritage is being destroyed. Christian heritage is being destroyed. And sites carrying layers of Jewish, Christian and Muslim history are being damaged with them.

Perhaps the three Abrahamic traditions themselves offer us a better way forward.

JUDAISM

The Hebrew Bible says:

"For My House shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples."

 - Isaiah 56:7

God's house does not belong exclusively to one ethnicity or people. It is a house of prayer for all peoples.

CHRISTIANITY

Jesus teaches:

"Blessed are the peacemakers."

-        Matthew 5:9

Christianity does not glorify those who destroy the sacred spaces of others. It elevates those who make peace.

ISLAM

The Quran specifically names the places of worship of different religions:

"Had Allah not repelled some people by means of others, monasteries, churches, synagogues, and mosques, in which the name of Allah is much mentioned, would surely have been demolished."

-        Quran 22:40

The scriptures explain with clarity what we must do. Regardless of faith, we must work together to end Israel's wrongdoing as soon as possible.

Peace,

Anas Zubedy

Kuala Lumpur