An overnight Israeli attack has destroyed a mosque and also damaged nearby houses in Deir el-Balah, in central Gaza, Al Jazeera reports.

Abu Bakr as-Siddiq is one of more than 1,200 mosques that have been wrecked during Israel’s military operations in Gaza.

An elderly resident in the area said there was “no justification” for the attack.

“The Israeli army asked the neighbouring houses to evacuate the area because it wants to bomb the mosque,” she said. “The mosque has nothing to do with Hamas or Islamic Jihad. We are responsible for the mosque, the residents of the neighbourhood.”