The destruction of cultural heritage during the 2023 Israeli invasion of Gaza has included 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. 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.

The destruction has been characterized as cultural genocide, 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.

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.

Cultural heritage in Gaza

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. In 2017, there were 32 museums in the State of Palestine, mostly in the West Bank, and a 2010 survey identified 13 libraries in the Gaza Strip. Cultural heritage is part of civilian infrastructure.

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.

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. 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. Speaking about cultural heritage broadly, the archaeologist Cornelius Holtorf remarked "If heritage is said to contribute to people's identities, the loss of heritage can contribute to people's identities even more."

Destruction of cultural heritage

Cultural sites are protected under the Geneva Convention, and the intentional destruction of historic monument or buildings is considered a war crime. 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. 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".

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. 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. 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. 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.

Events

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. 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. An analysis by the BBC found that by late January 2024, more than half of the buildings in Gaza had been damaged or destroyed. The bombing campaign conducted by Israel is one of the most destructive in history.

The Al Qarara Cultural Museum was destroyed by an Israeli airstrike early on in the conflict. Other museums damaged or looted during the conflict included the Akkad Museum in Khan Yunis and the Rafah Museum. On 8 October researchers found rocket damage at the Roman cemetery of Ard-al-Moharbeen. The ancient port of Anthedon was completely destroyed.

A report by Heritage for Peace identified eight mosques that had been damaged or destroyed during the war. The Sayed al-Hashim Mosque caught fire during an Israeli airstrike. 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.

"Israel has targeted ancient mosques and churches, which are symbols of both historical and religious significance. These sites transcend physicality; they are vessels of faith and tradition, preserving local architectural legacies and representing the long history of interfaith coexistence in Gaza."

— Mariam Shah, "Vanishing Ink: Palestinian Culture Under Threat in Gaza" (2024)

Tell es-Sakan, a Bronze Age settlement south of Gaza City, and Tell Ruqiash, an Iron Age fortified site near Deir al-Balah, were damaged by shelling. The medieval Qasr al-Basha (also known as Pasha's Palace) was left in ruins after Israeli bombardment.

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. 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.

In December, bombardment by Israel destroyed the Central Archives of Gaza City which contained thousands of historically important documents. The Hamam al-Sammara bath in the Zeitoun Quarter of the Old City was destroyed the same month. The Omari Mosque – the oldest mosque in Gaza – was hit by an Israeli airstrike in December, leaving only the minaret intact. 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. The nearby Gold Market was also destroyed.

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 Israel Defense Forces (IDF) had set up fortified positions on top of burial grounds. A Roman cemetery that had been discovered in 2022 was also badly damaged by bombardment.

On 17 January, 2024, the IDF used mines to destroy the main building of Israa University. The destruction of the university included its library and national museum. Israa University stated that occupying forces took over 3,000 artifacts from its museum prior to the university building's destruction. In May, the IDF Military Police opened an investigation into video footage showing IDF soldiers burning books, including a Quran in a mosque in Rafah and books at the Al-Aqsa University library.

International response

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." 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. Israel denied the accusations, saying its campaign is restricted to military targets.

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. In February 2024, the Institute of Conservation (Icon) issued a statement against the destruction of Palestine's heritage. 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." A group of UN experts commented on the destruction of cultural heritage that "The foundations of Palestinian society are being reduced to rubble, and their history is being erased".

The destruction of physical materials has led to increased efforts to digitise works. 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".

See also