A smiling Palestinian girl poses with a striking drawing of Gaza’s Al-Basha Palace in the south of the strip. In a bid to keep their region’s long heritage alive, children like Amal, sheltering in Rafah, have created their own pictures of Gaza’s historical buildings destroyed during Israel’s ongoing assault.
UNESCO has expressed ‘deep concern’ about the impact of the conflict on the strip’s rich heritage, with religious and archaeological sites, monuments and a museum – many containing historical manuscripts, antiquities and artworks – in ruins. More than 40 cultural sites across Gaza have been verified as damaged or destroyed since 7 October. Among them are the 13th century Qasr Al-Basha, which also housed a museum and secondary school for girls, and the Omari Mosque — the oldest in the strip.
