Palestinians search the destroyed annex of St. Porphyry Church, damaged during a strike on Gaza City on October 20.
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Palestinians search the destroyed annex of St. Porphyry Church, damaged during a strike on Gaza City on October 20.
Dawood Nemer/AFP via Getty Images
In the weeks following the October 7 Hamas attack, Israeli airstrikes on the Gaza Strip have killed more than 15,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s health ministry, and destroyed thousands of homes in the territory.
And the region’s ancient and globally significant cultural heritage has also suffered enormous losses. The region was a hub of commerce and culture under Egyptian, Greek, Roman and Byzantine rule. It remained influential for centuries afterward.
A recent investigation by the group Heritage for peace details the damage caused so far to more than 100 of these monuments in Gaza since the start of the current conflict.
The victims include the Grand Omari Mosque, one of the most important and oldest mosques in historic Palestine; Saint-Porphyre Church, considered the third oldest church in the world; a 2,000-year-old Roman cemetery in northern Gaza, excavated only last year; and the Rafah Museum, a space in southern Gaza that was dedicated to teaching about the territory’s long and multidimensional heritage – until it was hit by airstrikes at the start of the conflict.
Israel claims to be pursuing Hamas with the aim of destroying it and freeing the hostages. It accuses Hamas of operating from civilian areas, including hospitals and mosques.
Worshipers attend a mass in St. Porphyry Church on January 7, 2013 in Gaza City.
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“There were priceless objects like coins, precious stones, copper plates, clothes,” said Suhaila Shaheen, director of the Rafah museum, speaking in Arabic in a speech. video interview posted on the museum’s Facebook page amid the rubble of the destroyed space. Shards of white plaster littered the floor. The wall behind her had completely collapsed. “The Rafah Museum is now in the hands of God.”
Palestinian boys read the Quran at the Grand Omari Mosque in Gaza City, August 1, 2011.
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Palestinian boys read the Quran at the Grand Omari Mosque in Gaza City, August 1, 2011.
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In the introduction to the Heritage for Peace report, the Catalonia-based non-profit organization describes itself as maintaining “a neutral stance, with our programs aimed at empowering heritage specialists to face unique challenges, such as the safeguarding of artifacts, sites, museums and libraries in times of armed war.” conflict.” He added that the survey was carried out in response “to the requests and desires of many concerned people, researchers and local residents, to shed light on the status of cultural heritage.”
Worshipers in morning prayer at the Omari Grand Mosque in Gaza City on July 28, 2014.
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“If this heritage no longer exists in Gaza, it will be a great loss of the identity of the people of Gaza,” said Isber Sabrine, president of Heritage for Peace, in an interview with NPR.
Sabrine said her organization plans to continue the work of investigating and monitoring the condition of cultural monuments in Gaza over the coming months, both on the ground in collaboration with residents, as well as using the satellite imagery.
“The people of Gaza have the right to conserve and safeguard this heritage, to tell the history and importance of this land,” he said.
The 1954 Haye Convention, accepted by the Palestinians and Israelis, is supposed to protect the monuments from the ravages of war. But monuments in Gaza have been destroyed by Israeli strikes in previous rounds of fighting. Dozens of sites, including the now-defunct Omari Grand Mosque, suffered damage in 2014. A UNESCO reportthe United Nations body that designates and protects world heritage sites, cites further destruction of cultural and historical sites in Gaza in 2021.
“UNESCO is deeply concerned about the negative impact of the ongoing fighting on cultural heritage in Palestine and Israel,” a UNESCO spokesperson said in a statement sent to NPR. “Our organization calls on all parties involved to strictly respect international law. Cultural property must not be targeted or used for military purposes, as it is considered civilian infrastructure.”
Damage to the historic Grand Mosque of Omari, August 2, 2014.
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UNESCO has not yet been able to assess the extent of the damage caused to the cultural heritage of the region. “Due to the ongoing fighting and the inability to access the area, UNESCO is not able to assess the damage itself on site,” the agency’s statement said. “At this stage, our experts can only monitor the situation remotely, using satellite data and information transmitted to us by third parties. This information must then be scrupulously verified.”
THE Palestinian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities did not respond to NPR’s request to share information on the current state of Gaza’s cultural heritage sites or rescue plans. According to a report from The art journalthe ministry said it was “at present unable to make a full assessment given the conditions on the ground.”
The Israeli military did not immediately respond to NPR’s request for comment on the Heritage for Peace report.
Residents are only now beginning to appreciate the damage caused by the current fighting. “When we move around Gaza, we feel very angry and very sad as well,” Gaza City Mayor Yahya al-Sarraj said in a statement. video reportage by Al Jazeera. “We can find out now how much damage has been inflicted on the city’s infrastructure, cultural centers, the city’s main libraries and the public.”
