Volunteers, clad in surgical masks, quietly sorted through debris and dust under the sunlight filtering through the remaining windows of the Omari mosque library in Gaza City. Utilizing paint brushes, they delicately cleaned books and organized them into groups based on their condition. Due to the destruction, only a few bookshelves were left standing, prompting volunteers to gather fallen books, some missing pages.
Maram Al-Sarsawi, among the many volunteers, expressed the importance of preserving the library, Palestinian history, and the heritage of Gaza City. The Omari library fell victim to an attack in December 2023 during the Israel-Hamas conflict. After nearly three years of conflict, much of Gaza’s infrastructure, including libraries, schools, and universities, has suffered damage.
Despite the fragile ceasefire in place since January, many Palestinians are actively engaged in repairing the destruction. The western section of the Omari library was ravaged in the 2023 attack. Al-Sarsawi’s team managed to salvage 3,000 books out of the estimated 20,000, some of which are rare and date back to the Ottoman Empire.
Since the ceasefire allowed civilians to return to Gaza City, volunteers from the Eyes on Heritage Foundation have been diligently working to rescue the library’s precious books. Al-Sarsawi emphasized the uniqueness and historical significance of the library, stating that it is vital to revive it.
In the initial stages of the conflict, over 87 libraries and archives were destroyed in Gaza, according to a report by Librarians and Archivists with Palestine released in February 2024. The damage assessment is ongoing, with historical records indicating that 30,000 books and manuscripts were looted from Palestinian villages and towns in 1948.
The destruction of cultural heritage has been extensive, as highlighted in a UN report published shortly after the ceasefire came into effect. The report documented widespread damage, including the destruction of thousands of homes within the first few days of the conflict. The efforts of volunteers like Haneen Al-Amsi from the Eyes on Heritage Foundation underscore the importance of preserving Gaza’s history amid the devastation. The Omari library holds significant cultural value for Palestinian heritage and Gaza, making the preservation of its contents a critical mission.