Ramallah – Ma‘an – On Monday it was revealed that the statue of the Unknown Soldier, in the central square of Gaza City, has been defaced by unidentified vandals.
Former information minister and Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC) member, Dr Mustafa Barghouthi, condemned the assault.
Barghouthi said in a statement that the attack by gunmen on the statue on ‘Umar Al Mukhtar street was "a barbarian act, which distorts the image of the Palestinian people and their plight."
He added "the statue represented the struggle of thousands of martyrs who lost their lives defending their homeland and their just cause during decades of nationalistic resistance against the Israeli occupation, and so the destruction of the statue harms those martyrs."
Barghouthi also condemned the attack on the Latin Church and monastery in Gaza City. The church and the monastery were torched and looted, and a nun‘s school was also attacked. Barghouthi said the attacks were "sinful".