Gaza’s Heritage Sites Left in Ruins as War Leaves Cultural Legacy Damaged

Muneer Elbaz vividly recalls the joy of visiting the Great Omari Mosque in Gaza with his family, praying at a site where people have worshipped over centuries as empires rose and fell. The mosque was once the centerpiece of community life, surrounded by bustling markets and filled with worshippers.

“These were the best days,” Elbaz said, reminiscing about strolling through the vibrant markets around the mosque before the Israel-Hamas war. “This place transports us from one era to another.”

Today, much of the mosque stands in ruins — like most of Gaza — after being hit by Israeli strikes during the two-year conflict that has been temporarily halted by an uncertain ceasefire. For Elbaz, a Palestinian heritage consultant involved with recovery work at the site, the devastation brings to mind “a tree that had been uprooted from the land.”

Israel’s military offensive killed over 72,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, and erased entire extended families. But beyond the human toll, the war has also devastated a significant portion of Gaza’s cultural heritage — structures and sites that connected Palestinians to their land’s rich history dating back to ancient times.

With major military operations now suspended, Palestinians are gaining a clearer picture of the destruction to their historical landmarks. Some organizations have begun efforts to salvage what they can at historical sites, though full-scale restoration — and the broader reconstruction of the territory — face enormous obstacles.

The Israeli military launched its offensive after Hamas-led militants killed some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and took another 251 hostage in the October 7, 2023 attack. The military has accused Hamas of concealing military assets beneath or near heritage sites and other civilian structures.

According to ongoing assessments by UNESCO based on satellite imagery, at least 150 cultural sites have been damaged since the start of the war. These include 14 religious sites, 115 buildings of historical or artistic interest, 9 monuments, and 8 archaeological sites.

For many Palestinians, these are not merely buildings but fragments of Gaza’s soul, connecting them to a place and history they fear is being erased.

“These sites were an important element that solidifies the presence of the Palestinian people on this land and that represents the continuity of their cultural identity,” said Issam Juha, co-director of the Centre for Cultural Heritage Preservation, based in the Israeli-occupied West Bank.

“They want to erase the Palestinian identity and Palestinian heritage and… to remove any connection that keeps the Palestinian society clinging to this land,” he added.

Juha’s center is conducting emergency rescue work at the badly damaged Pasha Palace, which housed centuries-old artifacts, many of which appear to have been looted. Among the missing items are an Ottoman-era Quranic manuscript, jewelry from the medieval Mamluk era, and a Roman-era sarcophagus from which only fragments have been recovered, according to Hamouda al-Dohdar, an expert working at the site.

The Israeli military stated it struck “a Hamas military compound and an anti-tank missile array” at the Pasha Palace and a “terror tunnel” at the Omari mosque, though it did not provide evidence in either case. Amir Abu al-Omrain, an official with Gaza’s endowments ministry, which is part of the Hamas-run government, denied the allegation about the mosque.

An independent commission established by the UN’s Human Rights Council noted that it was not aware of evidence showing a tunnel shaft in the mosque. The commission stated that even if a legitimate military objective had been present, it “would not have justified the resulting damage.”

The centuries-old Saint Porphyrius Orthodox church complex, which had been sheltering displaced Palestinians, was also hit in an Israeli attack early in the war, resulting in deaths and injuries. The military said it had targeted a nearby Hamas command center. UNESCO reported the church complex was moderately damaged.

Some heritage sites appear to have survived intact. UNESCO has found no evidence of damage at the Saint Hilarion Monastery, which dates to the 4th century.

The Omari mosque, named for Islam’s second caliph, was originally built in the seventh century. Over its long history, it was converted into a cathedral by Crusaders, then back to a mosque after they were expelled, according to Stephennie Mulder, associate professor of Islamic art at the University of Texas at Austin. The mosque was damaged during World War I when British forces shelled Gaza in their campaign against Ottoman Turks, and was subsequently rebuilt.

“The building itself told the story of Gaza’s past as a crossroads of trade, armies, empires, and religious traditions,” said Mulder. “For many Gazans, the Omari mosque stood as a beloved symbol of multiplicity, resilience and persistence.”

Mohammad Shareef, 62, remembers attending prayers at the mosque with his father as a child and studying for exams in its quiet confines. Years later, he brought his own children there. He wept when it was hit. “We were raised in it and around it, and there’s no stone here that we haven’t stepped on,” he said. “For the people of Gaza, this is their history.”

The loss will be particularly felt during the upcoming Muslim holy month of Ramadan. Before the war, thousands converged on the mosque for Ramadan prayers amid festive celebrations. This year, a large tented structure has been erected in its place.

Workers have been filling wheelbarrows in the shadow of a damaged minaret in recent days. Hosni Almazloum, an engineer working at the site, said the mosque’s prayer hall ceiling had collapsed and columns had crumbled. While he believes it could be rebuilt if construction supplies are allowed in, teams are currently focused on recovery and damage prevention, carefully sifting through and storing stones.

The U.S.-brokered ceasefire agreement that halted most fighting in October provides no timeline for Gaza’s reconstruction, which may prove impossible if Israel maintains the blockade it imposed on the territory when Hamas seized power in 2007, following the militant group’s victory in Palestinian elections a year earlier.

Many historic sites had already suffered from neglect before the war. The blockade and previous Israel-Hamas conflicts, combined with a lack of resources and uncontrolled urban development, had created ongoing preservation challenges. Hamas-run authorities had previously leveled parts of what archaeologists believe was a Bronze Age settlement to make way for construction projects.

For Palestinians like Elbaz, the grief over cultural losses was initially overshadowed by the struggle for basic survival. “What would you begin to cry over?” he asked. “The historic mosques or your home or your history or your children’s schools or the streets?”

Now, as he processes the war’s toll, he sometimes weeps when alone, away from his children’s eyes. “Gaza is our mother,” he said. “We have memories everywhere — in this tree, this flower, this garden and this mosque. Yes, we cry over every part of Gaza.”