More than 200 buildings of cultural and historical significance have been reduced to rubble in Gaza, including mosques, cemeteries and museums.
“The city is a ghost town, people walk around with pale faces and their spirits are tired after having gone through this war. If you walk to the old city of Gaza, you will only remember the memories and feel sickened and saddened by the amount of destruction of cultural and religious sites,” said Bader Alzaharna, who lives in Gaza City despite the intensity of Israel’s ground operation in the area.
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.
UNESCO has warned that more sites are at risk of damage, including one of the region’s oldest Christian monasteries, the Saint Hilarion complex, which is in an area of intense fighting.
A photographer who covered several wars in Gaza said that the damage to the Omari mosque and its surroundings are considerable. He also expressed concern on the damages to Christian sites, such as the Saint Porphyrius Orthodox church complex, near the Omari mosque.