A different kind of rescue mission is taking place in Gaza. Instead of a desperate search for survivors after an Israeli attack, the goal is to save the cultural heritage of the Palestinian enclave.
Across Gaza, a group of young volunteers known as the Heritage Guardians Team have been digging through ruins, often with their bare hands, in search of artefacts, manuscripts and other fragments of a past at risk of being lost forever.
The initiative was launched in 2024 by the Mayasem Association for Culture and Arts, as part of a broader effort to protect Gaza’s cultural heritage.
“In light of the war, we realised that Palestinian history and heritage were at real risk of being lost,” Yousef Al Abadlah, the association’s media co-ordinator, told The National.
Gaza’s cultural landscape – museums, historic buildings and archaeological sites – suffered widespread destruction during two years of Israeli attacks. A ceasefire was announced in October last year.
Entire collections were buried beneath collapsed buildings. Private museums were reduced to rubble. Centuries-old historical landmarks were damaged or erased. The Heritage Guardians Team was formed as a response to that destruction – a group of about 20 young men and women from diverse academic backgrounds, united by their determination to protect what remains.
The task is as difficult as it is urgent. With limited access to machines such as excavators or bulldozers, the team relies largely on manual labour. “Sometimes we have no equipment at all,” Mr Al Abadlah said. “We are forced to search with our hands. It is exhausting and dangerous.”
Before the ceasefire, members of the team carried out recovery missions despite Israeli strikes, exposing themselves to significant risks to retrieve artefacts from destroyed sites. They rescued hundreds of items, each one a piece of Gaza’s historical memory.
But many more remain buried. “The lack of resources has prevented us from saving a lot of heritage,” Mr Al Abadlah said. “We urgently need specialised equipment to recover what is still under the rubble.”
For team co-ordinator Mohammed Abu Lahia, the work is deeply personal. Before the war, he worked at Al Qarara Museum for Heritage and Culture, in eastern Khan Younis.
“It was a place that represented the authenticity of Palestinian history,” he told The National. “People from all over Gaza used to visit.”
The museum no longer exists. “It was completely destroyed during the war,” he added.
During a brief ceasefire in January last year, Mr Abu Lahia managed to retrieve artefacts from the museum and take them to Al Mawasi, a coastal area in western Khan Younis.
Heritage Guardians Team co-ordinator
He later attempted to restore the site and move the collection back, but months later the area was reoccupied by Israeli troops. “Since May 2025, we haven’t been able to reach them,” he said.
Since the team was formed, it has operated across northern and southern Gaza. The process begins with the identification of destroyed sites, including museums, private collections and historic buildings. Information is gathered about what was lost, before the careful recovery work begins.
Any items found are documented and, when possible, restored, before being moved to safer locations.
The team has worked on sites including Shahwan Museum and an exhibition of Mamluk-era art, as well as numerous public and private collections.
In addition to recovering objects, the team documents damage to historical structures, including homes in Gaza’s Old City, as well as mosques and churches. Those records may one day support the reconstruction of the sites.
For the volunteers, the mission goes beyond saving artefacts – it is about preserving heritage. “These items tell the story of the civilisations that lived on this land for hundreds of years,” Mr Abu Lahia said.
The team also runs awareness campaigns online and in the enclave's communities, encouraging people to protect what remains of Gaza’s cultural heritage. A larger media campaign is planned this month, to highlight the importance of cultural preservation and the team’s work.
With fears for the future in Gaza often overshadowing thoughts of the past, every artefact recovered by the team is a small victory. But as long as much of the enclave remains in ruins, the odds are against them. “We are trying to save what we can,” Mr Al Abadlah said.
