Turkey’s Diyanet Foundation has opened three mosques in Gaza, according to Turkish state-run broadcaster TRT. A video online showed members of the Turkish charity in blue vests assisting in refurbishing and reopening the mosques.
The report said that the work is designed to enable suitable places for worship during Ramadan. This is part of Ankara’s efforts to increase its influence in Gaza.
According to the report, the organization opened the Abdullah Azzam Mosque in the Sabra neighborhood of Gaza, the Huda Mosque in Jabalya’s refugee camp, and the al-Isra Mosque in the Sheikh Radwan neighborhood. These areas were heavily damaged during the Israel-Hamas War.
Regarding the name given to the first mosque listed, Abdullah Yusuf Azzam was an Islamist jihadist of Palestinian and Jordanian background. Although this was not made clear in the broadcast, it appears that the mosque was indeed named after him.
According to a paper by the Institute for National Security Studies at Tel Aviv University, “While al-Qaeda and Hamas have become household terms, far less familiar is the man behind the idea of al-Qaeda, the Palestinian Sheikh Abdullah Yusuf Azzam, who also did much to support the establishment and entrenchment of Hamas.”
A mosque with a similar name is also located in Nuseirat in central Gaza.
The mosques serve as a foundation of 'brotherhood'
The Diyanet Foundation states on its website that it has conducted work on nine mosques in “Palestine,” but does not mention the three most recent ones. The organization said that it works to build mosques that serve as a foundation of “brotherhood.”
It also noted that “today, mosques are rising with the efforts of the Presidency of Religious Affairs and our foundation to deliver the Adhans [the mosque’s calls to prayer] to every corner of our country and every continent of the earth with the donations made by our beloved nation.”
The work is clearly government-backed and part of Ankara’s mission to engage with Islamic communities worldwide.
To this end, Turkey is working to grow its influence in Gaza. One way it does this is via religious charities. The organization noted that the “Diyanet Foundation, which was established to support the activities of the Presidency of Religious Affairs, delivering religious services to a wider audience and raising the next generation who will take part in religious services, has become a significant civil society movement in our country today.”
The foundation has “1,003 branches and a wide range of activities and international aid activities in 149 countries around the world, from education to culture, social and charitable services to supporting religious services.”
Fidan met with Ali Shaath
In another sign of Ankara’s growing involvement, Turkey’s Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan also met with Ali Shaath of the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza (NCAG). This is the technocratic Palestinian organization that the Board of Peace backs to transition governance in Gaza away from Hamas.
In the past, Ankara has hosted Hamas leaders for meetings and backed Hamas. It is unclear whether this meeting represents a change.
Citing diplomatic sources, Turkey’s state-run media reported that Fidan received Shaath in the Turkish capital.
TRT went on to say, “The NCAG, formed after the October ceasefire in Gaza, is a Palestinian governance body under recent peace efforts to oversee Gaza’s civil administration and reconstruction, with Turkey offering diplomatic backing and humanitarian support to help stabilize and rebuild the besieged enclave.”
Further, “The NCAG said on Saturday that preparations for handing over the institutions of the sector pave the way for its management during the transitional phase.”
Per that same report, “Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas called for the removal of obstacles” to the second phase of the Gaza ceasefire deal, and the NCAG “considered that the statements issued from within the sector regarding the readiness to hand over all public institutions pave the way for enabling the committee to fully assume its responsibilities in managing the transitional phase.”
The meeting with Shaath and the support for mosques in Gaza are part of the multi-pronged efforts by Ankara to increase its influence and also maintain its current level of control in Gaza.