Gazans face challenges in rebuilding heritage sites damaged by war due to lack of resources

In the heart of Gaza, teams of Palestinian workers in hard hats and reflective vests are laboriously clearing debris from the remnants of the Gaza Strip's oldest mosque. The medieval Great Omari Mosque, recognized for its octagonal minaret, now stands mostly in ruins following two years of military conflict. Only a portion of the minaret and a few walls remain intact.

Since the ceasefire, mediated by the United States nearly eight weeks ago, efforts have focused on sorting and salvaging stones from the wreckage. Full reconstruction has yet to begin due to restrictions on building materials entering Gaza through Israeli-controlled crossings, in accordance with the ceasefire terms.

Hosni al-Mazloum, an engineer from the Palestinian heritage organization Riwaq, highlights the difficulties. Our main challenge is the shortage of materials like iron and cement, he says. We are using basic tools and taking extreme care because these stones are over a millennium old.

Nearby, conservationist Hanin al-Amsi faces a parallel struggle as she carefully examines fragments of rare Islamic manuscripts rescued from the mosques 13th-century library. We are performing first aid on these manuscripts, similar to how doctors treat people, she explains. Some documents were retrieved under fire during the war, but many remained trapped beneath rubble.

With funding from the British Council, al-Amsi and her team have been painstakingly recovering manuscripts by hand. Despite catastrophic losses, 148 of the original 228 manuscripts survived, thanks in part to pre-war preservation efforts that included digitization and storage in protective boxes and safes. Some recovered pieces appeared nearly untouched, while others were severely damaged.

Recently, the team has begun using heavier equipment to unearth more manuscripts, confirming that the library's Ottoman-era archive was largely destroyed by fire. Gazas cultural history spans over 5,000 years, reflecting influences from numerous civilizations including Canaanites, Egyptians, Philistines, Assyrians, Persians, Greeks, Romans, Byzantines, Mamluks, and Ottomans.

Accusations of deliberate targeting of heritage sites by Israel have emerged, though Israel denies this and attributes the destruction to military operations near cultural landmarks. The Israel Defense Forces claim strikes at the Great Omari Mosque were aimed at neutralizing tunnels.

Other historic sites, like Gaza City's 800-year-old Pasha's Palace, have suffered similar fates. Once a Mamluk fortress and later a museum, it was struck by air attacks and partially bulldozed. Efforts to recover some of the 17,000 artifacts stored there have yielded only a small fraction, including fragments of Byzantine pottery and sarcophagi. Restoration teams, coordinated remotely from the West Bank, report severe shortages of materials required even for basic stabilization.

The ongoing work offers crucial employment for local workers, supported by international organizations such as the Aliph Foundation and the British Council. Aliph has provided $700,000 for emergency restoration since 2024, while experts maintain near-daily contact with teams on the ground. However, large sections of Gaza remain inaccessible due to Israeli military presence, preventing assessments at important archaeological sites like Roman cemeteries and the Byzantine Church near Jabalia camp.

Displaced families now occupy land surrounding key heritage sites, further complicating restoration efforts. While political uncertainty persists, the beginning of work at landmarks like the Great Omari Mosque and Pasha's Palace is seen by many Gazans as a rare sign of hope for preserving their cultural identity.

Author: Chloe Ramirez