Gaza worshippers hold first Tarawih prayers at Great Omari Mosque

Описание: (17 Feb 2026)
RESTRICTION SUMMARY:

ASSOCIATED PRESS
Gaza City, Gaza Strip - 17 February 2026
1. Various of worshippers entering from one the Great Omari Mosque gates in Gaza City, banner reads (Arabic) "Prayer room, the Great Omari Mosque, generous donation from the good will team, December 2025"
2. Close up of worshipper during prayers
3. Various of worshippers preforming prayers, UPSOUND of prayers
4. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Abdel Raheem Al-Ashi, resident of Gaza City:
"Many things are no longer as they were; the rubble and demolition, nothing remains as it was. God willing, we will restore and rebuild them, God willing."
5. Various of worshipers
6. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Abu Aballah Khalaf, resident of Gaza City:
"After this war, we no longer have markets, goods, or the arrival of Ramadan supplies. We couldn’t enjoy money, not even the old currency that hasn’t changed, and no banks are open, and the borders and crossings are not operating as they should."
7. Various of worshippers praying
8. Wide of worshippers in the Great Omari Mosque, banner reading (Arabic) " Prayer room the Great Omari Mosque, implementation and financing: the challenging team for the good"
STORYLINE:
Muslim worshippers held the first Tarawih (evening) prayers at the Great Omari Mosque in Gaza City on Tuesday, marking the beginning of the holy month of Ramadan.

Prayers were held in one of the mosque’s rooms that had been cleaned and prepared for worship, as the building had suffered extensive damage from Israeli strikes during two years of war.

"Many things are no longer as they were; the rubble and demolition, nothing remains as it was. God willing, we will restore and rebuild them, God willing, " said Abdel Raheem Al-Ashi, a worshipper and resident of Gaza City.

The Great Omari Mosque in Gaza City was hit by an Israeli strike during the war with Hamas. It is one of dozens of heritage sites that were damaged or destroyed during the war.

With major military operations halted by a shaky ceasefire, Palestinians are gaining a clearer picture of the war's devastation, including the loss of buildings and artifacts testifying to the territory's rich history.

Some repairs are underway, but full-scale restoration, and broader reconstruction of the war-ravaged territory, face major obstacles.

Israel says it takes the sensitivity of heritage sites into careful account and accuses Hamas of positioning military assets beneath or near them and other civilian buildings.

This Ramadan is the first since a fragile US-brokered ceasefire deal that took effect on October 10 attempted to halt more than two years of war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza.

For observant Muslims, Ramadan involves daily fasting from dawn to sunset and is a time for increased worship, religious reflection and charity.

Socially, it often brings families and friends together in festive gatherings around meals to break their fast.

Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic lunar calendar; the month cycles through the seasons.

The start of the month traditionally depends on the sighting of the crescent moon.

In Gaza, Muslims will begin observing Ramadan on February 18, while in other countries, the holy month is expected to start on February 19.

The actual start date may vary among countries and Muslim communities due to declarations by multiple Islamic authorities around the globe on whether the crescent had been sighted or different methodologies used to determine the beginning of the month.


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