'Systematic targeting': Israel war ravages Gaza's archives and manuscripts

Dozens of archives and libraries housing irreplaceable books and documents have been destroyed

Gaza city's 17th century Qasr Al Basha, or the Pasha's Palace, which housed a museum and a girls' school, after it was struck by Israeli forces in the continuing war. AFP

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The war in Gaza is ravaging the Palestinian territory's archives and libraries, leaving valuable historical manuscripts, paintings, and books in ruins, historians and local collectors have warned.

For many Palestinians, history seems to be repeating itself.

A vast trove of books was looted from Palestinian public and private libraries after the mass dispossession of Palestinians in 1948, which is known as the Nakba. Palestinian historians say that between 1948 and 1982, Israel seized about 38,000 films, 2.7 million photos, 96,000 recordings, and 46,000 maps and aerial photographs from Palestinian archives and personal libraries.

And now, as Israel continues its war against Hamas nine months after the October 7 attacks, most of the enclave's public libraries and research centres, which contain thousands of documents and archives, often rare and irreplaceable, have been bombed.

“In this war, we have lost more than 70 per cent of the archives in the Gaza Strip,” Hossam Abu Nasser, a Palestinian historian and writer based in Ramallah, told The National.

“The number of libraries destroyed in the current war is estimated to be more than 87 public libraries, which housed extremely important books and documents. Among them is the Palestinian Planning Centre, which contains over 60,000 titles, not including other documents and archives.”

According to Mr Abu Nasser, the Umari Library, which contains 180 manuscripts and more than 30,000 books, including stone-printed books and old documents, was destroyed.

The stone-printed books were created before the existence of electronic printing presses.

The Abbas Library, which housed important books and documents, 25,000 newspapers, and manuscripts dating from the 14th to the early 20th centuries, as well as undated manuscripts from the Ottoman era, was also destroyed.

“The central archive of Gaza Municipality, which dates back to the Ottoman era and includes documents, ownership records, official transactions, electricity, water, municipal records, and land registries, has been entirely burnt and destroyed, aside from what has been stolen,” Mr Abu Nasser said.

The Abbas Library had previously been destroyed in the 2014 war. The books that remained were transferred to the Umari Library.

“The lost archives in this war include the old archives of the Ministry of Education, which were documented in correspondences before the arrival of the Palestinian Authority, the archives of the Azhar institutes collected during the Egyptian administration of the Gaza Strip, and the religious archives.”

Extensive losses

Damage suffered to Palestinian heritage and history in the Gaza war has been substantial.

Among the archives lost are Land Authority records of land and properties, the archives of the Supreme Judicial Council and the records of the Sharia courts, which contain all the old rulings of the Sharia courts established in Gaza.

Additionally, the endowment archives related to the Waqf, and the employee records from before and after 1967, have also been lost.

“Israel always tries to steal archives related to land registries and personal properties of the Palestinian people in an attempt to prevent Palestinians from proving their ownership of their lands and properties,” Mr Abu Nasser said.

The Gaza Municipality Central Archives, which for more than 120 years documented the city’s urban and social development was destroyed by Israeli bombing in the continuing war.

“What actually happened was a systematic targeting of all archaeological facilities and the Palestinian archives by the Israeli occupation during its war on Gaza. This included heritage sites, cultural centres, public libraries, development and education institutions,” Asim Al Nabih, director of public relations and media at Gaza Municipality, told The National.

“The most prominent target was the central archive of Gaza city, which housed thousands of documents, old manuscripts, valuable books, and maps that preserve the city's status and history through the ages and document various stages of life there.”

The archives building was burnt down, Mr Al Nabih said, making it impossible to recover anything.

Alongside that were the Gaza Municipality public library, the archaeological headquarters and the Omari Mosque, which contains libraries, museums, and valuable ancient artefacts from Islamic eras.

Other properties were also destroyed, such as the Samra Bathhouse and private homes with libraries and artefacts in the city's old town.

“We also lost dozens of artistic and heritage paintings, Palestinian garments, metal pieces, stones, and other artefacts that indicate the Palestinian presence on this land. These items were primarily housed in the Pasha Palace in the eastern part of the city,” Mr Al Nabih said.

“Furthermore, we lost tens of thousands of books in central public libraries, most notably the public library with more than 50,000 titles, including books, research papers, old newspapers, and other documents. We also lost the Diana Tamari Sabbagh Library, which was located in the Rashad Al Shawa Cultural Centre.”

“There are currently no specialised technical bodies working on the recovery and restoration of the artefacts despite numerous appeals made by the Gaza Municipality in this regard.”

Permanent damage

The Palestinian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities condemned a raid on a Gaza archaeological warehouse in January, containing thousands of important artefacts discovered during archaeological excavations over the past years.

It described the site as a representation of “an important part of the history of Gaza and Palestine in general”.

The Israeli attack was “a serious violation and an assault on Palestinian heritage, which contravenes international agreements such as the Fourth Geneva Convention of 1949 and the 1954 Hague Convention on the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of an Armed Conflict,” it said.

The ministry did not specify the location of the warehouse or the date of the raid. However, Eli Eskozido, director of the Israel Antiquities Authority, posted a video on his Instagram account showing Israeli soldiers at an archaeological site in Gaza.

According to Mr Abu Nasser the artefacts at Al Khudari Museum, Qasr Al Basha, and the Khan Younis Museum are all registered with the UN's cultural agency, Unesco, as well as the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities.

“We have statistics on the number of pieces that were stolen and what was destroyed. What was stolen can be reclaimed, but unfortunately, Qasr Al Basha was completely destroyed,” he said.

“Sadly, archaeological sites cannot be rebuilt, but they can be restored if the damage is partial. However, if the damage is total, they cannot be rebuilt,” he said.

Mr Abu Nasser says if artefacts at Qasr Al Basha were stolen by the Israeli army, it is possible to investigate it through international bodies.

“If it is proven that the artefacts were stolen, international bodies will intervene to recover these items,” he added.

“Losing the archives of Gaza is a significant loss, but it does not mean that the city no longer has a history. There are many books that have been published based on these documents, and these books have previously chronicled the city's history,” he concluded.

Palestinian identity

Yahya Al Zahraneh, 41, a teacher from Gaza, had been collecting books for years and built a large library in his home that housed more than 2,000 books.

It was all destroyed and reduced to ashes when the Israeli army bombed Mr Al Zahraneh’s house. He could only salvage 20 books, he said.

“I used to have a library in my home, that I considered a piece of paradise. It was the part of my house I cared for the most,” he told The National

Every time Mr Al Zahraneh found a new book, he would add it to his library. Friends who loved reading would come to his home to borrow from his wide collection of books.

“I made sure that not only I read from it but also my wife and children read most of the books in the library. We would compete to read new books and discuss them.”

Palestinian heritage books were among his favourites, despite their high cost, Mr Al Zahraneh says. His library had many books about Palestine before the 1948 Nakba, during the Ottoman era, and some that chronicled Palestine's recent history.

“I also had books about the Palestine Liberation Organisation, Arab-Israeli relations, and the wars in Gaza. Additionally, I had educational books about our Palestinian heritage, such as how to make traditional clothing, learn the dabke dance, and Palestinian cooking methods.”

The war and its unprecedented destruction of civilian areas and homes, destroyed people’s archives, photos, and personal documents and left hundreds of thousands of Palestinians without identification papers, or personal archives.

“From my perspective, preserving books, which contain knowledge, history, and our heritage, is one of the most important ways to protect our Palestinian identity and heritage,” Mr Al Zahraneh said.

“I promised myself that I would rebuild the library.”

Mohammad Islim, is a young man who runs a bookstall on Al Jalaa Street in Gaza city where Mr Al Zahraneh goes to buy books.

“During this war, I worked as a seller of old and used household items. I would buy from people and sell on a street stall.” Mr Islim told The National.

One day, a man sold Mr Islim some kitchen items and gave him a bag of books for free.

“I found most of them to be valuable and useful for people. Having studied social work at the university, I understand the value of books and culture.”

Mr Islim displayed the books on his stall and priced them affordably at one shekel (about Dh1) each. The books were sold out within a few days, and people started asking him for more.

“That's when I decided to focus on selling books and transformed my entire stall into a bookselling business.” he said.

“I started buying large quantities of books from people who had previous home libraries but were forced to sell them to buy food.”

Demand was high, with religious, historical and books about Palestinian heritage being the most popular.

He started buying books from damaged libraries and selling them.

“I believe that selling books during the war is a form of resilience and commitment to culture and knowledge. It also demonstrates that we are people with a history who love to read and learn. This sends a message to Israel and the world that as long as we have books in our hands and hold on to them, it won't be easy to defeat us.”