Volunteers with protective face masks quietly worked amidst debris and sunlight filtering through the remaining windows of the Omari mosque library in Gaza City. Using delicate paintbrushes, they meticulously cleaned dust off books and sorted them by their condition, salvaging toppled volumes with torn pages.
Maram Al-Sarsawi, a volunteer, expressed their mission to preserve the library and the rich heritage of Gaza City, especially its Palestinian history. The Omari library fell victim to an attack in December 2023, early in the Israel-Hamas conflict, leaving much of Gaza’s infrastructure, including educational institutions, in ruins after nearly three years of ongoing warfare.
Despite the fragile ceasefire in effect since January, numerous Palestinians are actively engaged in the restoration efforts. A significant portion of the Omari library was destroyed in the attack, but the dedicated team has managed to rescue approximately 3,000 out of the original 20,000 books, some of which are rare and date back to the Ottoman Empire.
Since civilians were allowed back into Gaza City post-ceasefire, volunteers from the Eyes on Heritage Foundation have been diligently working to salvage the library’s invaluable collection. Al-Sarsawi emphasized the significance of reviving this historical and remarkable library, considering it as the sole surviving repository of its kind in Gaza.
According to a report by Librarians and Archivists with Palestine, over 87 libraries and archives were destroyed during the initial months of the conflict in the enclave, with historical records indicating the loss of 30,000 books and manuscripts from Palestinian villages and towns in 1948. The extent of damage to cultural heritage is believed to be far greater than currently reported, given the challenges faced by archivists and librarians due to displacement and harm.
A UN report highlighted the extensive destruction in Gaza, noting that within the first five days of the conflict, over 12,600 homes were destroyed by approximately 6,000 bombs. The destruction surpassed previous hostilities, as confirmed by an independent international inquiry in the region.
Haneen Al-Amsi, the executive director of the Eyes on Heritage Foundation, reiterated the commitment of volunteers to safeguard the remnants of Gaza’s history. She underscored the Omari library’s vital role in preserving Palestinian heritage, emphasizing the team’s dedication to preserving these cultural treasures.