Destruction of cultural heritage during the Israel–Hamas war

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A view down an urban street with ruined multistorey buildings on either side of the street. An Israeli tank occupies the centre of the street.
By late January 2024, more than half of the buildings in Gaza had been damaged or destroyed.

The destruction of cultural heritage during the Israel–Hamas war includes hundreds of culturally or historically significant buildings in Gaza have been, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Culture, destroyed by Israel.[1] By late January 2024, more than half of the buildings in Gaza had been damaged or destroyed, leaving residential areas devastated and 1.7 million people displaced.[2]

South Africa included Israel's destruction of cultural heritage in Gaza as evidence of genocide in their case against Israel at the International Court of Justice.[3] Cultural heritage is part of civilian infrastructure, and embodies the collective and history of the people who live in the region. Destroyed sites have included archives, museums, mosques, churches and cemeteries.

Cultural heritage in Gaza

"Gaza's society is sensitive to its heritage, but the crushing that has been inflicted by the occupying forces over the past fifty years means that vital priorities like feeding, caring for, and educating the population have pushed cultural heritage aside as a luxury for wealthy countries."

Jean-Baptiste Humbert, 2023[4]

Cultural heritage is passed down from generation to generation, comprising material culture such as artworks and buildings and intangible things such as traditions and ways of life.[5] In 2017, there were 32 museums in the State of Palestine, mostly in the West Bank.[6] Cultural heritage is part of civilian infrastructure.[3]

The Gaza Strip is densely populated with urban development and modern buildings are often built over archaeological sites. In 2023 there were more than 300 architectural heritage sites in Gaza, including a range of different structures such as mosques, palaces, schools, and cemeteries. The most common categories of historic site according to the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities are houses, followed by tells (settlement mounds) and mosques.[7]

The historic buildings and heritage sites that make up a place embody its collective identity and history; they are important to the community of which they are a part and are an extension of their identity.[8] Material culture – physical objects – passed down from generation to generation help preserve memories of places and significant events. For Palestinians forcibly displaced from their homes in 1948 during the Nakba, housekeys have become tangible symbols of the homes they had to leave behind.[9]

Destruction of cultural heritage

A man with a walking stick walks amongst the ruins of a mosque. In the background a child stands looking at the ruins, while a man traverses the rubble.
The al-Amin Muhammad Mosque was destroyed by the Israeli bombing of Khan Yunis on 8 October 2023.[10]

Cultural sites are protected under the Geneva Convention, and the intentional destruction of historic monument or buildings is considered a war crime.[11][12] Destruction of places and cultural heritage is often part of war and genocide and is intended to undermine a society. It has been used in this way from prehistory and classical antiquity to the modern day, notably in Nazi persecution of the Jews. The philosopher Jeff Malpas highlights the use of destruction to exert authority and control over other groups as a significant issue in Israel–Palestine relations.[13] The United Nations Fact Finding Mission on the Gaza Conflict into the Gaza War (2008–2009) concluded that the "disproportionate destruction and violence against civilians were part of a deliberate policy".[14]

The Palestinian Ministry of Culture has published reports on the impact of the war on Gaza's cultural heritage. As of February 2024, they report that 44 people involved with arts and culture were killed and around 200 historic buildings were damaged or destroyed, along with 12 museums and numerous cultural centres.[15] In Gaza as a whole more than half of the buildings have been damaged or destroyed. The destruction has left residential areas devastated, and 1.7 million people have been displaced.[2] UNESCO has an ongoing damage assessment. Due to an inability to access Gaza it has been able to verify the impact on a smaller number of sites: 43 as of 8 April.[16]

The World Bank estimated that over US$300 million damage had been caused to Gaza's cultural heritage by the end of January 2024, part of a US$18 billion damage to Gaza's built infrastructure.[17]

Events

On 7 October 2023, Hamas attacked Israel, killing more than a thousand people including nearly 700 civilians (of which 36 were children). Some 259 hostages we're also taken.[18] In response Israel began a counter attack on Gaza, and over the following months killed more than 30,000 Palestinians (as of February 2024), with the majority consisting of women and children, and caused extensive damage to civilian infrastructure.[19] An analysis by the BBC found that by late January 2024, more than half of the buildings in Gaza had been damaged or destroyed.[2] The bombing campaign conducted by Israel is one of the most destructive in history.[20]

The Al Qarara Cultural Museum was destroyed by an Israeli airstrike early on in the conflict.[21] On 8 October researchers found rocket damage at the Roman cemetery of Ard-al-Moharbeen. The ancient port of Anthedon was completely destroyed.[22]

A report by Heritage for Peace identified eight mosques that had been damaged or destroyed during the war.[23] The Omari Mosque, the oldest mosque in Gaza was hit by an Israeli airstrike.[24] The mosque also 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 in the airstrike.[25][26] The Sayed al-Hashim Mosque caught fire during an Israeli airstrike.[22]

On 19 October an Israeli airstrike hit the Church of Saint Porphyrius campus, the oldest church in Gaza. Hundreds of civilians were sheltering there at the time of the attack which killed 18 people including several children.[27][28][29]

In November, the Rashad Shawa Cultural Center was destroyed during the conflict; it contained a theatre and library.[30][31]

In December, bombardment by Israel destroyed the Central Archives of Gaza City which contained thousands of historically important documents.[32][33] The Hamam al-Sammara bath in the Zeitoun Quarter of the Old City was destroyed the same month.[34][35]

The medieval Qasr al-Basha (also known as Pasha's Palace) was left in ruins after Israeli bombardment.[36][35]

An investigation by CNN using satellite imagery identified sixteen cemeteries in Gaza that had been damaged as a result of the conflict. The Israel Defence Force used bulldozers to level cemeteries and dig up bodies. In some cases, the IDF had set up fortified positions on top of burial grounds.[37] A Roman cemetery that had been discovered in 2022 was also badly damaged by bombardment.[38]

International response

A courtroom setting with lots of people seated in a large room.
The International Court of Justice on 12 January 2024 during South Africa v. Israel (Genocide Convention)

On 14 December 2023, UNESCO gave "provisional enhanced protection" to Saint Hilarion Monastery, one of the oldest monasteries in the Middle East. In the announcement, UNESCO called for the protection of heritage sites during the war: "While priority is rightly given to the humanitarian situation, the protection of cultural heritage in all its forms must also be taken into account. .... Cultural property should not be targeted or used for military purposes, as it is considered to be civilian infrastructure."[39] Later that month South Africa brought a case to the International Court of Justice alleging that Israel was committing genocide against the Palestinian people, noting the destruction of cultural heritage amongst its evidence.[3]

In January, the Palestine Exploration Fund released a statement condemning the destruction in Gaza along with the attack by Hamas on 7 October; it also stated that it would not fund or publish research engaging with items unlawfully removed from Palestine.[40] In February 2024, the Institute of Conservation (Icon) issued a statement against the destruction of Palestine's heritage.[26] The Middle East Studies Association made several statements condemning the conflict, including that the "The very notion of a Palestinian people is itself under attack through Israel’s policy of destroying Gaza’s archaeological, religious, and cultural heritage."[41]

The destruction of physical materials has led to increased efforts to digitise works.[42] In the view of Mahmoud Hawari, former director of The Palestinian Museum, the intentional destruction of Palestinian cultural heritage "demonstrates the Israeli political and military leadership's intent to destroy the Palestinian people and their cultural identity".[43]

See also

References

  1. ^ Ahmed, Kaamil (2024-04-28). "'Everything beautiful has been destroyed': Palestinians mourn a city in tatters". The Observer. ISSN 0029-7712. Retrieved 2024-03-27. A recent report by the Palestinian culture ministry into Israeli damage to Palestinian heritage said Israel's bombardment of Gaza had destroyed 207 buildings of cultural or historical significance, including 144 in the old city and 25 religious sites.
  2. ^ a b c "At least half of Gaza's buildings damaged or destroyed, new analysis shows". BBC News. 2024-01-30. Retrieved 2024-03-27.
  3. ^ a b c Adams, Geraldine Kendall (2024-01-30). "Widescale destruction of cultural heritage in Gaza". Museums Association. Retrieved 2024-03-30.
  4. ^ Al-Barsh, Ahmed (2023-11-07), Report on the Impact of the Recent War in 2023 on the Cultural Heritage in Gaza Strip - Palestine (PDF), Heritage for Peace and the Arab Network of Civil Society Organizations to Safeguard Cultural Heritage, p. 5
  5. ^ Willis, Kenneth G. (2014), The Use of Stated Preference Methods to Value Cultural Heritage, Handbook of the Economics of Art and Culture, vol. 2, Elsevier, pp. 145–181, doi:10.1016/b978-0-444-53776-8.00007-6, ISBN 978-0-444-53776-8
  6. ^ "Statistics bureau: In spite of occupation, Palestine is abound with cultural centers, museums and theaters". Wafa. 2018-03-13. Retrieved 2024-03-30.
  7. ^ Al-Barsh, Ahmed (2023-11-07), Report on the Impact of the Recent War in 2023 on the Cultural Heritage in Gaza Strip - Palestine (PDF), Heritage for Peace and the Arab Network of Civil Society Organizations to Safeguard Cultural Heritage, pp. 5, 12–15
  8. ^ "Placemaking: the heart of heritage conservation". Glboal Heritage Fund. 2018-04-24. Retrieved 2024-04-01.
  9. ^ Saad, Dima. "Materializing Palestinian Memory: Objects of Home and the Everyday Eternities of Exile". Jerusalem Quarterly. 80: 60. Open access icon
  10. ^ "Israeli army shelled two mosques and destroyed headquarters of Holy Quran Radio in Gaza". Al-Quds. 2023-10-08. Retrieved 2024-03-31.
  11. ^ Price-Jones, Jennifer (2020-02-13). "Cultural property protection: a humanitarian concern". Humanitarian Law & Policy Blog. Retrieved 2024-03-31.
  12. ^ "How the Court works". International Criminal Court. Retrieved 2024-03-31.
  13. ^ Malpas, Jeff (2018). Place and Experience: A Philosophical Topography (2nd ed.). Routledge. p. 199. ISBN 9781351967181.
  14. ^ Human Rights in Palestine and Other Occupied Arab Territories: Report of the United Nations Fact Finding Mission on the Gaza Conflict (PDF) (Report). United Nations. 2009. p. 335. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2022-01-21.
  15. ^ "الثقافة تصدر التقرير الشهري الرابع حول أضرار القطاع الثقافي نتيجة العدوان على غزة". moc.pna.ps (in Arabic). Retrieved 2024-04-03.
  16. ^ "Gaza Strip: Damage assessment". UNESCO. 2024-03-08. Retrieved 2024-04-12.
  17. ^ Gaza Strip Interim Damage Assessment: summary note, March 29, 2024 (PDF) (Report). World Bank. 2024. pp. 6, 13.
  18. ^ "Israel social security data reveals true picture of Oct 7 deaths". France 24. 2023-12-15. Retrieved 2024-04-01.
  19. ^ Batrawy, Aya (2024-02-29). "Gaza's death toll now exceeds 30,000. Here's why it's an incomplete count". NPR. Retrieved 2024-04-01.
  20. ^ Frankel, Julia (2023-12-21). "Israel's military campaign in Gaza seen as among the most destructive in recent history, experts say". AP News. Retrieved 2024-04-08.
  21. ^ "As part of its genocidal war in Gaza, Israel destroys Palestinians' cultural heritage". Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor. Retrieved 2024-03-30.
  22. ^ a b Saber, Indlieb Farazi. "A 'cultural genocide': Which of Gaza's heritage sites have been destroyed?". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 2024-04-08.
  23. ^ Al-Barsh, Ahmed (2023-11-07), Report on the Impact of the Recent War in 2023 on the Cultural Heritage in Gaza Strip - Palestine (PDF), Heritage for Peace and the Arab Network of Civil Society Organizations to Safeguard Cultural Heritage, pp. 34–35
  24. ^ Estrin, Daniel (2023-12-09). "Israeli strike leaves Gaza's oldest mosque in ruins". NPR. Retrieved 2024-03-30.
  25. ^ "Digitising and First Aid to Documentary Heritage of "Manuscripts Collection of the Great Omari Mosque Library" - Phase II". Endangered Archives Programme. 2019-09-13. Retrieved 2024-03-31.
  26. ^ a b Icon. "Icon's Statement on the Destruction of Cultural Heritage in Gaza". www.icon.org.uk. Retrieved 2024-03-31.
  27. ^ "Israel/OPT: 'Nowhere safe in Gaza': Unlawful Israeli strikes illustrate callous disregard for Palestinian lives". Amnesty International. 2023-11-20. Retrieved 2024-04-01.
  28. ^ Ditmars, Hadani (2023-10-20). "Historic Greek Orthodox church in Gaza hit by deadly missile strikes". The Art Newspaper - International art news and events. Retrieved 2024-04-01.
  29. ^ Gostoli, Ylenia; Abu Riash, Abdelhakim (2023-10-20). "'We were baptised here and we will die here': Gaza's oldest church bombed". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 2024-04-01.
  30. ^ Brehony, Louis (2023-11-28). "Two Palestinian Artists Condemn Israel's Destruction of Gaza's Iconic Theater". Palestine Chronicle. Retrieved 2024-04-08.
  31. ^ Sanchez, Raf (2023-12-01). "Palestinians try to rebuild their lives in Gaza's ruins". NBC News. Retrieved 2024-04-08.
  32. ^ Osman, Nadda. "Israel-Palestine war: Israeli forces destroy central archive of Gaza city". Middle East Eye. Retrieved 2024-04-03.
  33. ^ Geranpayeh, Sarvy (2023-12-22). "Gaza City archives among heritage sites destroyed in Israel-Hamas war". The Art Newspaper - International art news and events. Retrieved 2024-04-03.
  34. ^ "1,000-year-old Hamam al-Sammara destroyed by Israeli bombing in Gaza". Middle East Eye. Retrieved 2024-04-08.
  35. ^ a b Estrin, Daniel; Bashir, Abu Bakr (2024-02-04). "A requiem for Gaza's iconic sites, destroyed in the war". NPR. Retrieved 2024-04-08.
  36. ^ "Destruction of the Palestinian cultural heritage of Gaza – in pictures". the Guardian. 2024-01-11. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2024-04-08.
  37. ^ Diamond, Jeremy; Darwish, Muhammad; Salman, Abeer; Brown, Benjamin; Mezzofiore, Gianluca (2024-01-20). "At least 16 cemeteries in Gaza have been desecrated by Israeli forces, satellite imagery and videos reveal". CNN. Retrieved 2024-04-04.
  38. ^ "Bombing of Gaza has damaged or destroyed more than 100 heritage sites, NGO report reveals". The Art Newspaper - International art news and events. 2023-11-28. Retrieved 2024-04-04.
  39. ^ "Gaza: UNESCO grants enhanced provisional protection to Saint Hilarion monastery". UNESCO. 2023-12-18. Retrieved 2024-03-31.
  40. ^ "A statement regarding Gaza's cultural heritage and intellectual life" (PDF). Palestine Exploration Fund. Retrieved 2024-04-04.
  41. ^ "Middle East Studies Association". Middle East Studies Association. 2024-03-11. Retrieved 2024-03-31.
  42. ^ "How digital archives are preserving Palestinian history amid Israel's bombardment of Gaza". Arab News. 2024-01-09. Retrieved 2024-04-03.
  43. ^ Hawari, Mahmoud (2024-02-28). "Israel Destroys Palestinian Cultural Heritage Sites in Gaza". Institute for Palestine Studies. Retrieved 2024-03-31.

Further reading

External links

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