The destruction of cultural heritage during the 2023 Israeli invasion of Gaza has invoiced the damage and destruction by Israel of hundreds of culturally or historically significant buildings, libraries, museums and other repositories of knowledge in Gaza, alongside the destruction of intangible cultural heritage. [1] [2] By late January 2024, more than half of the buildings in Gaza had been damaged or destroyed, leaving residential areas devastated and 1.7 million people displaced. [3]
Al Jazeera characterized the destruction as cultural genocide, [2] and South Africa included the destruction of cultural heritage in Gaza as evidence of genocide in their case against Israel at the International Court of Justice. [4]
Cultural heritage is part of civilian infrastructure, and embodies the collective and history of the people who live in the region. Destroyed sites have included archives, museums, mosques, churches and cemeteries. Israel's destruction of cultural heritage in Gaza has been conducted in a systematic way. [5] [6] [7] [8]
"Gaza's society is sensitive to its heritage, but the crushing that has been inflicted by the occupying forces over the past fifty years means that vital priorities like feeding, caring for, and educating the population have pushed cultural heritage aside as a luxury for wealthy countries."
Jean-Baptiste Humbert, 2023 [9]
Cultural heritage is passed down from generation to generation, comprising material culture such as artworks and buildings and intangible things such as traditions and ways of life. [10] In 2017, there were 32 museums in the State of Palestine, mostly in the West Bank, [11] and a 2010 survey identified 13 libraries in the Gaza Strip. [12] Cultural heritage is part of civilian infrastructure. [4]
The Gaza Strip is densely populated with urban development and modern buildings are often built over archaeological sites. In 2023 there were more than 300 architectural heritage sites in Gaza, including a range of different structures such as mosques, palaces, schools, and cemeteries. The most common categories of historic site according to the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities are houses, followed by tells (settlement mounds) and mosques. [13]
The historic buildings and heritage sites that make up a place embody its collective identity and history; they are important to the community of which they are a part and are an extension of their identity. [14] Material culture – physical objects – passed down from generation to generation help preserve memories of places and significant events. For Palestinians forcibly displaced from their homes in 1948 during the Nakba, housekeys have become tangible symbols of the homes they had to leave behind. [15]
Cultural sites are protected under the Geneva Convention, and the intentional destruction of historic monument or buildings is considered a war crime. [17] [18] Destruction of places and cultural heritage is often part of war and genocide and is intended to undermine a society. It has been used in this way from prehistory and classical antiquity to the modern day, notably in Nazi persecution of the Jews. The philosopher Jeff Malpas highlights the use of destruction to exert authority and control over other groups as a significant issue in Israel–Palestine relations. [19] The United Nations Fact Finding Mission on the Gaza Conflict into the Gaza War (2008–2009) concluded that the "disproportionate destruction and violence against civilians were part of a deliberate policy". [20]
The Palestinian Ministry of Culture has published reports on the impact of the war on Gaza's cultural heritage. As of February 2024, they report that 44 people involved with arts and culture were killed and around 200 historic buildings were damaged or destroyed, along with 12 museums and numerous cultural centres. [21] In Gaza as a whole more than half of the buildings have been damaged or destroyed. The destruction has left residential areas devastated, and 1.7 million people have been displaced. [3] UNESCO has an ongoing damage assessment. Due to an inability to access Gaza it has been able to verify the impact on a smaller number of sites: 43 as of 8 April. [22]
The World Bank estimated that over US$300 million damage had been caused to Gaza's cultural heritage by the end of January 2024, part of a US$18 billion damage to Gaza's built infrastructure. [23]
On 7 October 2023, Hamas attacked Israel, killing more than a thousand people including nearly 700 civilians (of which 36 were children). Some 259 hostages were also taken. [24] In response Israel began a counter attack on Gaza, and over the following months killed more than 30,000 Palestinians (as of February 2024), with the majority consisting of women and children, and caused extensive damage to civilian infrastructure. [25] An analysis by the BBC found that by late January 2024, more than half of the buildings in Gaza had been damaged or destroyed. [3] The bombing campaign conducted by Israel is one of the most destructive in history. [26]
The Al Qarara Cultural Museum was destroyed by an Israeli airstrike early on in the conflict. [27] On 8 October researchers found rocket damage at the Roman cemetery of Ard-al-Moharbeen. The ancient port of Anthedon was completely destroyed. [28]
A report by Heritage for Peace identified eight mosques that had been damaged or destroyed during the war. [29] The Omari Mosque – the oldest mosque in Gaza – was hit by an Israeli airstrike, [30] leaving only the minaret intact. [31] The mosque also housed one of the most important libraries in Palestine; the rare books in its collection, which had survived the crusades and the First World War, were destroyed in the airstrike. [32] [33] The Sayed al-Hashim Mosque caught fire during an Israeli airstrike. [28]
On 19 October an Israeli airstrike hit the Church of Saint Porphyrius campus, the oldest church in Gaza. Hundreds of civilians were sheltering there at the time of the attack which killed 18 people including several children. [34] [35] [36]
On 25 November, the Rashad Shawa Cultural Center was destroyed by Israeli shelling. It had been used as a shelter for hundreds of civilians. It contained a theatre and library with tens of thousands of books. [37] [38] [39] Other libraries, including Gaza Municipal Library, Enaim Library, Al-Nahda Library, Al-Shorouq Al-Daem Library, the Kana'an Educational Development Institute, were reported as damaged or destroyed in November and December. [12] [40]
In December, bombardment by Israel destroyed the Central Archives of Gaza City which contained thousands of historically important documents. [41] [42] The Hamam al-Sammara bath in the Zeitoun Quarter of the Old City was destroyed the same month. [43] [44]
The medieval Qasr al-Basha (also known as Pasha's Palace) was left in ruins after Israeli bombardment. [45] [44]
An investigation by CNN using satellite imagery identified sixteen cemeteries in Gaza that had been damaged as a result of the conflict. The Israel Defence Force used bulldozers to level cemeteries and dig up bodies. In some cases, the IDF had set up fortified positions on top of burial grounds. [46] A Roman cemetery that had been discovered in 2022 was also badly damaged by bombardment. [47]
On 14 December 2023, UNESCO gave "provisional enhanced protection" to Saint Hilarion Monastery, one of the oldest monasteries in the Middle East. In the announcement, UNESCO called for the protection of heritage sites during the war: "While priority is rightly given to the humanitarian situation, the protection of cultural heritage in all its forms must also be taken into account. .... Cultural property should not be targeted or used for military purposes, as it is considered to be civilian infrastructure." [48] Later that month South Africa brought a case to the International Court of Justice alleging that Israel was committing genocide against the Palestinian people, noting the destruction of cultural heritage amongst its evidence. [4]
In January, the Palestine Exploration Fund released a statement condemning the destruction in Gaza along with the attack by Hamas on 7 October; it also stated that it would not fund or publish research engaging with items unlawfully removed from Palestine. [49] In February 2024, the Institute of Conservation (Icon) issued a statement against the destruction of Palestine's heritage. [33] The Middle East Studies Association made several statements condemning the conflict, including that the "The very notion of a Palestinian people is itself under attack through Israel’s policy of destroying Gaza’s archaeological, religious, and cultural heritage." [50]
The destruction of physical materials has led to increased efforts to digitise works. [51] In the view of Mahmoud Hawari, former director of The Palestinian Museum, the intentional destruction of Palestinian cultural heritage "demonstrates the Israeli political and military leadership's intent to destroy the Palestinian people and their cultural identity". [52]
Gaza, also called Gaza City, is a Palestinian city in the Gaza Strip. Prior to the 2023 Israel–Hamas war, it was the most populous city in the State of Palestine, with 590,481 inhabitants in 2017.
Jabalia, also spelled Jabalya, is a city in Palestine located 4 kilometers (2.5 mi) north of Gaza City, in the North Gaza Governorate of the Gaza Strip. According to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics, Jabalia had a population of 172,704 in 2017. The Jabalia refugee camp is adjacent to the city to the north. The nearby town of Nazla is a part of the Jabalia municipality. The city is currently under the operational control of IDF's 162nd Division.
Beit Hanoun or Beit Hanun is a Palestinian city on the northeast edge of the Gaza Strip. According to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics, the town had a population of 52,237 in 2017. From mid-2007 until late 2023, it was administered by the Hamas administration. Beit Hanoun has been entirely depopulated, and virtually all its structures have either been destroyed or rendered unusable due to extreme damage following the Israel-Hamas war. The remains of Beit Hanoun are located by the Nahal-Hanun stream, 6 kilometers (3.7 mi) away from the Israeli town of Sderot.
Deir al-Balah or Deir al Balah is a Palestinian city in the central Gaza Strip and the administrative capital of the Deir al-Balah Governorate of the State of Palestine. It is located over 14 kilometers (8.7 mi) south of Gaza City. The city had a population of 75,132 in 2017. The city is known for its date palms, after which it is named.
The Sayed al-Hashim Mosque is one of the largest and oldest mosques in Gaza, located in the ad-Darrāj Quarter of the Old City, off of al-Wehda Street. The tomb of Hashim ibn Abd al-Manaf, Muhammad's great grandfather who died in Gaza during a trading voyage, is located under the dome of the mosque according to Muslim tradition.
Al-Aqsa University is a public university with campuses in Gaza City and Khan Younis, Palestine. Established in 1955 as a teachers' institute before later expanding its curriculum, it is the first and oldest public higher education institution in the Gaza Strip. It caters for some 26,000 students and has some 1400 employees, 300 of whom are lecturers and professors.
Nuseirat is a Palestinian refugee camp located in the middle of the Gaza Strip, five kilometers north-east of Deir al-Balah. The refugee camp is in the Deir al-Balah Governorate, Gaza Strip. According to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics, the refugee camp had a population of 31,747 and the surrounding Nuseirat municipality had a population of 54,851 in 2017.
Al Mat'haf is a small, private museum in Gaza City, Palestine, focused on archaeology of the Gaza Strip. The museum is part of a privately owned hotel, also named Al Mat'haf, that includes a restaurant and conference center; both the hotel and its small museum opened to the public in the fall of 2008. The privately owned museum houses antiquities discovered in the Gaza Strip from various historical periods. The museum is owned by the businessman Jawdat N. Khoudary, who owns a series of construction companies in Gaza.
The Great Mosque of Gaza, also known as the Great Omari Mosque, was the largest and oldest mosque in the Gaza Strip, Palestine, located in Gaza City.
Umm al-Nasr Mosque or Beit Hanoun Mosque is the oldest mosque in the Palestinian city of Beit Hanoun in the Gaza Strip, located in the center of the city.
Katib al-Wilaya Mosque or Welayat Mosque was a small historic mosque located along Omar Mukhtar Street in Gaza City in the Zaytun Quarter of the Old City. The mosque was built by the Burji Mamluks in 1432, however, the structure could date further back to 1344. Additions to the western part of the mosque were commissioned in 1584 by Ahmed Bey, the Ottoman clerk of the Damascus Vilayet. Damascus Vilayet's Arabic transliteration was Wilayat Dimashq, hence the name of the mosque Katib al-Wilaya.
Incidents in the Gaza War include incidents involving attacks against civilians, a school, a mosque, and naval confrontations.
Israeli war crimes are the violations of international criminal law, including war crimes, crimes against humanity and the crime of genocide, which the Israel Defense Forces, the military branch of the state of Israel, has been accused of committing since the founding of Israel in 1948. These have included murder, intentional targeting of civilians, killing prisoners of war and surrendered combatants, indiscriminate attacks, collective punishment, starvation, the use of human shields, sexual violence and rape, torture, pillage, forced transfer, breach of medical neutrality, targeting journalists, attacking civilian and protected objects, wanton destruction, incitement to genocide, and genocide.
The State of Israel has been accused of carrying out or inciting genocide against Palestinians during the Israeli–Palestinian conflict. This accusation has been linked to the conceptualization of Israel as a settler colonial state. Those who believe Israel's actions constitute genocide typically point to the phenomena of anti-Palestinianism, Islamophobia, anti-Arab racism in Israeli society, and they cite the Nakba, the Sabra and Shatila massacre, the blockade of the Gaza Strip, the 2014 Gaza War and the 2023 Israel–Hamas war as instances of genocide.
On 19 October 2023, part of the Church of Saint Porphyrius, a Greek Orthodox church in Gaza City, in the Israeli-occupied Palestinian territories, was damaged during an Israeli aistrike, killing at least 18 Palestinian civilians during the 2023 Israel–Hamas war. Over 450 Christian and Muslim Palestinian residents of the Gaza Strip had been sheltering there.
Since the start of the Israel–Hamas war on 7 October 2023, the UN Human Rights Council has identified "clear evidence" of war crimes by both Hamas and the Israel Defense Forces. A UN Commission to the Israel–Palestine conflict stated that there is "clear evidence that war crimes may have been committed in the latest explosion of violence in Israel and Gaza, and all those who have violated international law and targeted civilians must be held accountable." On 27 October, a spokesperson for the OHCHR called for an independent court to review potential war crimes committed by both sides.
The Al Qarara Cultural Museum was a museum in al-Qarara, near Khan Yunis, in the Gaza Strip. Founded in 2016, the museum featured the archaeology and history of the area, collected by its founders and by local community members. It was destroyed by Israeli forces in October 2023.
There are allegations that Israel has committed genocide against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip during the Israel–Hamas war. Various scholars, and the United Nations Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese, have cited statements by senior Israeli officials that they argue demonstrate an "intent to destroy" the population of Gaza, a necessary condition for the legal threshold of genocide to be met.
The Central Archives of Gaza City was an archive and study centre in Gaza, Palestine. Containing 150 years of archival material relating to Palestinian life and culture, the centre was destroyed in late November 2023 during the Israel–Hamas war.
The bombing of the Gaza Strip is an ongoing aerial bombardment campaign on the Gaza Strip by the Israeli Air Force during the Israel–Hamas war. During the bombing, Israeli airstrikes damaged Palestinian refugee camps, schools, hospitals, mosques, churches, and civilian infrastructure.
A recent report by the Palestinian culture ministry into Israeli damage to Palestinian heritage said Israel's bombardment of Gaza had destroyed 207 buildings of cultural or historical significance, including 144 in the old city and 25 religious sites.
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