After months of closure due to Israeli airstrikes, the Al-Tawhid Mosque in Gaza’s Al-Shati refugee camp has reopened, and the sound of the adhan — the Islamic call to prayer — once again echoes through the area.

Located in western Gaza City, the mosque had been closed following intense bombardment in the northern Gaza Strip. Its reopening follows a ceasefire agreement between Palestinian resistance groups and Israel, marking a moment of relief and resilience for residents of the camp.

Al-Tawhid is the only mosque in the western sector of Gaza City that survived the recent assaults, allowing it to resume its role as a spiritual and communal hub.

Footage broadcasted showed a worshipper entering the mosque and prostrating in gratitude. “The mosque was like my home,” he said, explaining that he had been displaced multiple times. Another congregant described the reopening as “the return of a soul to a body,” after two years of hardship and destruction.

The mosque’s muezzin said the structure sustained serious damage but was cleaned and prepared for prayers by residents of the camp. “Thanks to the people’s efforts and the ceasefire, we managed to restore the mosque so worshippers can perform God’s rites,” he said.

The ceasefire took effect at noon on Friday. Israeli forces reportedly withdrew to previously designated lines under the terms of a published roadmap, allowing thousands of displaced families to return to northern Gaza through the Al-Rashid and Salah Al-Din routes.

Since October 2023, Gaza’s Ministry of Endowments has documented extensive destruction of religious sites, reporting that more than 960 mosques have been damaged or destroyed during the conflict.

Humanitarian and cultural organizations have condemned the targeting of places of worship, warning that such acts constitute violations of international law. A United Nations commission described the repeated attacks on mosques and schools sheltering civilians as acts of “extermination.”

According to health authorities in Gaza, more than 67,000 Palestinians have been killed since Israel launched its offensive on October 7, 2023.