Turkey Opens Gaza Mosque Named for Al-Qaeda Mentor

Turkey has inaugurated a new mosque in Gaza City named after Abdullah Azzam, the radical cleric widely regarded as the ideological “father of global jihad” and mentor to Osama bin Laden a move drawing sharp condemnation from Israeli officials.

Israeli Minister for Diaspora Affairs and Combating Antisemitism Amichai Chikli denounced the development, writing that Turkey funded a mosque honoring “the man who mentored Osama bin Laden and co-founded Al-Qaeda.”

Azzam, originally from a village near Jenin in Samaria, played a central role in shaping modern jihadist ideology before his assassination in Pakistan in 1989. He laid the groundwork for Al-Qaeda and inspired other extremist organizations, including Lashkar-e-Taiba the group responsible for the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks that killed 166 people, including Rabbi Gavriel Holtzberg and his wife Rivka at the Nariman House Chabad center.

The Abdullah Azzam Mosque, located in Gaza City’s Sabra neighborhood, is one of three mosques reportedly opened with Turkish government support ahead of Ramadan. According to Turkish state media, the projects were funded by Diyanet, Turkey’s Directorate of Religious Affairs, which operates directly under President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s office.

Diyanet oversees mosques, appoints imams, and provides religious guidance aligned with Turkish state policy. Israeli officials view its involvement in Gaza as more than humanitarian outreach.

Chikli accused Turkey under Erdoğan of acting as a “dangerous Trojan horse,” warning that Ankara is advancing networks linked to extremist ideology across Gaza, Syria, and Somalia. He urged Western governments to reassess their approach toward Turkey’s regional ambitions.

The controversy comes amid broader tensions over Turkey’s growing involvement in Gaza-related diplomacy. Earlier this year, U.S. President Donald Trump invited Turkey to join his proposed Board of Peace initiative focused on overseeing postwar arrangements in Gaza. Israel’s Prime Minister’s Office publicly objected, stating the invitation had not been coordinated with Jerusalem and ran counter to Israeli policy.

Israel has repeatedly defined Turkish participation in Gaza governance frameworks as a “red line,” citing Ankara’s longstanding support for Hamas leadership and political infrastructure.

While Turkey frames its actions as religious and humanitarian support, Israeli leaders argue that honoring figures associated with global jihad sends a troubling signal especially at a time when the region is struggling to emerge from war and rebuild on foundations of stability rather than extremism.

For Israel, the issue is not symbolic. It is about ensuring that Gaza’s future is not shaped by ideologies that fueled decades of terror.

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