Damascus Vilayet's Arabic transliteration was Wilayat Dimashq, hence the name of the mosque Katib al-Wilaya ("the clerk of the state").

[2][3] The mosque was damaged as part of the Bombing of the Gaza Strip, as result of the Israeli airstrike at the nearby Church of Saint Porphyrius.

[4] The main body of the mosque was its prayer hall, which was rectangular in shape and dates to the Mamluk period.

Palestinian historian Aref al-Aref says local legend attributes this positioning of the building to the Rashidun caliph Umar ibn al-Khattab's orders to the Muslim general Amr ibn al-'As to build a mosque next to every church in the lands conquered by the Muslims.

The Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor accused the Israeli occupation of “intentionally destroying” historical and cultural monuments in Gaza.