The Presidency of Religious Affairs (DİB) has inaugurated the construction of nine mosques in the Gaza Strip that will be built on the sites of mosques demolished in a violent offensive by Israel last year. Turkey's top religious authority, the DİB, known for its construction of mosques across the globe, is spearheading the project for damaged mosques in Gaza where more than 2,000 people were killed and 64 mosques were destroyed last year in Israel's Operation Protective Edge. The offensive was the latest in Israel's attacks targeting Gaza and was denounced by Turkey, which downgraded its relations with Israel five years ago after the infamous Mavi Marmara attack and continued oppression of Palestinians.

The mosques' construction will be undertaken by a foundation linked to the DİB that oversees mosque construction abroad. The Gaza mosques are among the mosque-building projects in 15 countries. The foundation earmarked a budget over $4 million for the mosques.

After a lengthy approval process, Israel allowed a transfer of construction materials to Gaza in September.

The country pledged aid to Gaza after the Gaza offensive. Last year, $76.3 million in aid was sent to Gaza, and Turkey aims to contribute up to $200 million to aid efforts for Gaza by 2017. The aid covers the rebuilding of demolished residences and education services as well as delivery of water, fuel and food aid.

Turkey has already started re-construction of a hospital in Gaza. Another project by Turkey in the works is a slaughterhouse. Turkey's state-run Cooperation and Development Agency (TİKA) announced earlier that the constructions of 300 residences at a cost of $20 million was currently on hold due to the Israeli blockade.