The cultural landscape of Gaza lies in ruins, with Israeli forces systematically destroying and looting hundreds of historic sites and museums in what Palestinian officials describe as a deliberate campaign to erase Palestinian identity . Over 300 architectural heritage sites have been fully or partially destroyed, and more than 20,000 rare artifacts spanning from prehistoric eras to the Ottoman period have been looted or are missing . This wholesale destruction of archives, libraries, and places of worship has targeted the very foundations of Palestinian collective memory and history.
Campaign of Cultural Destruction
According to Gaza's Government Media Office, the Israeli army has systematically and extensively destroyed Gaza’s archaeological sites as part of a policy aimed at erasing Palestinian identity . The Palestinian Ministry of Culture reported that by February 2024, around 200 historic buildings and 12 museums had been damaged or destroyed . This includes the complete destruction of the Al Qarara Cultural Museum and damage to the Rafah Museum, which was dedicated to teaching the territory's long and multi-layered heritage . The destruction has been characterized by some as cultural genocide, and South Africa included it as evidence in its case against Israel at the International Court of Justice .
Among the most significant losses is the Great Omari Mosque, the oldest mosque in Gaza, which was hit by an Israeli airstrike in December 2023, leaving only the minaret intact . The medieval Qasr al-Basha, also known as Pasha's Palace, was left in ruins after Israeli bombardment . The palace, built on a UNESCO heritage site dating back to 800 BC and functioning as an archaeology museum, had 70% of its structure damaged . Other irreplaceable sites destroyed include the Church of Saint Porphyrius - the oldest church in Gaza - the ancient port of Anthedon, the Pasha Palace, and the Al-Qissariya Market .
The systematic nature of this cultural erasure extends to repositories of knowledge. In December 2023, bombardment destroyed the Central Archives of Gaza City, which contained thousands of historically important documents . The Great Omari Mosque 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 . Other libraries, including the Gaza Municipal Library, Enaim Library, and Al-Nahda Library, were also reported as damaged or destroyed . The Rashad Shawa Cultural Center, which contained a theater and library with tens of thousands of books, was destroyed by Israeli shelling in November 2023 .
Cultural sites are protected under Article 53 of Protocol I of the Geneva Conventions, and the intentional destruction of historic monuments or buildings is considered a war crime . Despite this protection, the destruction has continued unabated. UNESCO has called for the protection of heritage sites during the war and has added 'The Monastery of Saint Hilarion/Tell Umm Amer' to the list of World Heritage Sites and its list of sites in danger . As of October 2025, UNESCO has verified damage to 114 cultural sites, though this is likely an undercount due to inability to access Gaza for on-the-ground assessments .
The destruction of cultural heritage embodies what many scholars see as a campaign of memoricide, the deliberate erasure of a people's collective memory . For Palestinians, cultural heritage represents more than physical structures; it is an extension of their identity and a vital tool for advocacy, mobilization, and solidarity in the face of ongoing violence . The World Bank estimated that over $300 million in damage had been caused to Gaza's cultural heritage by the end of January 2024, with restoring all the damaged sites expected to take nearly a decade . As one researcher noted, the targeted ancient mosques and churches are "vessels of faith and tradition, preserving local architectural legacies and representing the long history of interfaith coexistence in Gaza" .