'Israel', in pursuit of more damage, pain, goes after heritage in Gaza
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The Palestinian Minister of Culture calls the Israeli aggression on Gaza's culture a "systematic and targeted” attempt to erase the national memory.
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Palestinians walk past the building destroyed in the Israeli bombardment of the Gaza Strip, in Gaza City, on January 3, 2024. (AP)
In November, NGOs reported that the bombing of the Gaza Strip has not only targeted thousands of Palestinians but also demolished several historical architecture and heritage sites.
Several historic mosques have been damaged as a result of the continuous Israeli air attacks.
According to a preliminary estimate by a Spanish NGO dedicated to cultural heritage preservation, 104 such sites have been damaged or entirely destroyed by Israeli forces.
The Omari Mosque is a 1,400-year-old structure that survived conquests and earthquakes but was entirely crushed in the Jabalia refugee camp, immediately after the bombing of Saint Porphyrius church, which is thought to be the third oldest church in the world having been built about 407 AD.
The mosque, with just its iconic minaret remaining among mounds of debris, is similar to the countless ancient landmarks destroyed since "Israel" began its aggression on Gaza.
The Palestinian Culture Ministry reported that as of January 1, Israeli attacks demolished 207 archaeological and heritage sites in Gaza out of a total of 325 registered sites.
The Palestinian Minister of Culture, Atef Abu Seif, called it a "systematic and targeted” campaign against the territory's “culture and heritage sector with its material and intangible components, through which it seeks to erase national memory, promote distortion of facts, and fight the Palestinian narrative."
Not far from the mosque are the ruins of Hamam Al Sumara, a Turkish-style bathhouse that dates back to 1320 AD. It was the only bathhouse where many would head for a day of leisure and relaxation.
Chipping away Palestinian heritage
Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor decried Israeli raids on Gaza's "cultural and religious sites" in November, accusing the occupation of "relentlessly chipping away at the humanitarian and cultural heritage of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, violently targeting landmarks that represent Gazans' basic values" as part of its onslaught on the area.
In addition to Gaza City's Church of Saint Porphyrius in Shujaiya, other Christian structures have been destroyed.
The remains of St Hilarion Monastery, commonly known as Tell Umm Amer, are under threat in central Gaza as well.
The ruins span more than four centuries, from the late Roman Empire to the Umayyad period, according to the World Monuments Fund, which placed the site on its watch list in 2012.
“Characterised by five successive churches, bath and sanctuary complexes, geometric mosaics, and an expansive crypt, this Christian monastery was one of the largest in the Middle East," it said.
The Gaza municipality also reported that the oldest market, Souq Al Zawiya, has also been decimated, along with its archives building which held century-old documents.
“This is a war on human beings and their place and their story in that place,” Abu Seif remarked.
