Its walls collapsed and its minaret cut short, Gaza’s Omari mosque remains standing but vastly diminished. Around it, the historic old city is also in tatters. The 7th-century mosque, also known as the Great Mosque of Gaza, was Gaza’s most famous and its surroundings a focal point of the Palestinian enclave’s history and culture, but the damage done to its heritage over more than 100 days of Israeli bombardment spreads across the city.
For the few Palestinians who remain, and the far greater number displaced and hoping to return, the culture and history has been reduced to memories.
“The city is a ghost town, people walk around with pale faces and their spirits are tired after having gone through this war. If you walk to the old city of Gaza, you will only remember the memories and feel sickened and saddened by the amount of destruction of cultural and religious sites,” said Bader Alzaharna, who lives in Gaza City despite the intensity of Israel’s ground operation in the area.
“The old city of Gaza, which used to be full of cultural sites, is grey and overcast. Walking in Gaza feels like we are in a movie, in a fictional story, in a fantasy. The scene is apocalyptic.”
Unesco, the UN agency responsible for protecting culture, says it has verified damage to at least 22 sites, including mosques, churches, historical homes, universities, archives and the archeological site of Anthedon Harbour, Gaza’s first known seaport.
The agency said it had received reports of damage to other sites but had not been able to verify them through the means available, mainly satellite imagery, because of the conflict.
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.
The damage has also included an ancient Roman cemetery and the Commonwealth war cemetery, where more than 3,000 British and commonwealth soldiers are buried after dying in battles during the first and second world wars.
Unesco has warned that more sites are at risk of damage, including one of the region’s oldest Christian monasteries, the Saint Hilarion complex, which it said had not been damaged yet but was in an area of intense fighting.
“Unesco is deeply concerned about damage of cultural and historical sites in Gaza. While humanitarian emergencies are a legitimate priority, the protection of cultural heritage in all its forms – as well as the protection of educational infrastructures and journalists – must also be ensured, in accordance with international law, which stipulates that cultural property is civilian infrastructure,” the agency said.
Wissam Nassar, a photographer who covered several wars in Gaza but also documented its culture, said the damage to the Omari mosque and its surroundings had hit him personally due to the time he spent there.
“This mosque holds a special place for every Palestinian in Gaza, as it was a gathering point during Ramadan and a place for worship and Quranic readings. As a photographer, it has a special significance for me, capturing many moments and memories inside this mosque,” said Nassar.
Nassar, who now lives in Canada, said he remembers visiting the old city, including the now-destroyed Turkish baths, both as a photographer and in his personal life. He said the damage to Christian sites, such as the Saint Porphyrius Orthodox church complex, near the Omari mosque, also damaged Gaza’s diversity.
“As a photographer I will carry sadness throughout my life because these historical buildings are difficult to restore, and their loss is irreplaceable. I will remember them in every moment, as we have thousands of memories within these places. However, the greater sorrow will be felt when I look at the pictures I took inside these archaeological sites.”
“Unfortunately, Israel destroyed everything beautiful in Gaza. Israel aimed to destroy not only people but also stones, infrastructure and historical buildings, wanting to eradicate human life and cultural heritage.”
South Africa’s case at the international court of justice in the Hague accusing Israel of genocide, which led to the court to order Israel to prevent its troops carrying out acts that could amount to genocide, included claims that Israel had targeted Palestinian culture.
It also accused Israel of destroying modern museums and cultural centres and threatening Gaza’s “cultural potential” through damage to schools, as well as the killing of journalists, teachers and intellectuals.
Isber Sabrine, head of the Heritage for Peace NGO, said the damage done to Gaza’s heritage would be lasting and reached far beyond physical buildings. That done to religious sites, he said, would affect the social life of both Muslims and Christians and would take a long time to rehabilitate.
“The destruction of heritage in Gaza is also the destruction of traditions, it’s also the destruction of their habits, of their culture,” said Sabrine.
“It’s a huge destruction of heritage to intentionally disconnect the people of Gaza from their land. It’s important to preserve and restore. When the war stops there will be a need to evaluate what is destroyed.”
