JENIN, West Bank — The mosque is unrecognizable. The stairway to the upper floor, now lacking a wall to support it, is leaning strangely. Pillars holding up the ceiling are bowing. Rubble is piled up outside. And through the holes in the floor, a man peers into the basement where Israeli security forces say Palestinian militants were storing weapons.
The Israeli airstrike that destroyed the Al-Ansar Mosque in Jenin on Oct. 22 was an unusual occurrence for the occupied West Bank, where Israeli forces usually favor ground raids instead. At least two Palestinians were killed, officials in Jenin say.
