Volunteers in Gaza City, wearing surgical masks, worked quietly amidst the debris at the Omari mosque library. Sunlight filtered through the remaining windows as they meticulously cleaned dusty books with paintbrushes and sorted them according to their condition. Due to the destruction, only some bookshelves were still intact, leading volunteers to gather fallen books, some of which had torn pages.
Maram Al-Sarsawi, among the volunteers, emphasized the importance of preserving the library, stating that it holds significant Palestinian history and heritage, especially that of Gaza City. The Omari library fell victim to an attack in December 2023 during the early stages of the Israel-Hamas conflict. Over the past three years of conflict, Gaza’s infrastructure, including libraries, schools, and universities, has suffered extensive damage.
Despite the fragile ceasefire in place since January, Palestinians are actively engaged in restoring damaged structures. The western section of the Omari library was destroyed in the 2023 attack, but Al-Sarsawi’s team has managed to salvage 3,000 books out of the approximately 20,000 it once housed, many of which were rare.
Since the ceasefire allowed civilians to return to Gaza City, volunteers from the Eyes on Heritage Foundation have been diligently working to save the books, including one rare piece dating back to the Ottoman Empire. Al-Sarsawi stressed the significance of reviving the library, labeling it as a crucial historical and valuable asset for Gaza.
An alarming report released by Librarians and Archivists with Palestine in February 2024 revealed that during the initial months of the conflict, more than 87 libraries and archives were destroyed in Gaza. The report also highlighted the historical loss of 30,000 books and manuscripts taken from Palestinian villages and towns in 1948.
While efforts to document the extent of damage to cultural heritage are ongoing, the destruction has been widespread, with over 12,600 homes destroyed by roughly 6,000 bombs in the first five days of the war. The UN report, published shortly after the ceasefire, emphasized the unprecedented level of damage witnessed during the conflict.
Haneen Al-Amsi, the executive director of Eyes on Heritage Foundation, reiterated the commitment of volunteers to preserve Gaza’s remaining historical artifacts. The Omari library holds significant importance in preserving Palestinian heritage, making it a focal point for their restoration efforts.