Gazans outraged over million-dollar mosque reconstruction
The reconstruction of a mosque at a cost of $1 million in the cash-strapped Gaza Strip has shocked Gaza's largely impoverished population.
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — The announced replacement of a mosque in the west of Gaza City at a cost of more than $1 million has sparked widespread controversy among Palestinians in the coastal enclave, where 85% of the population suffer from poverty.
The Al-Ahram al-Zahabia Construction Company announced on Facebook Feb. 5 that it had won a bid to replace the Khalil al-Wazir Mosque at a total cost of $1.093 million. The post was later edited and the amount removed.
The mosque, modestly constructed like most in the coastal enclave, was destroyed during the 2014 Israeli war on Gaza.
In 2018, Hamas’ Ministry of Endowments and Religious Affairs signed an agreement with the Malaysian Aman Palestin Foundation to fund the mosque replacement, on the condition that it be done in a Malaysian architectural style.
