Protecting Heritage: Gaza's Historical Sites in Ruins

The destruction of Gaza’s cultural heritage is a silent catastrophe unfolding alongside the immediate humanitarian crisis. As the world focuses on the urgent needs of the displaced and injured, an irreplaceable history is being systematically erased. From the ancient port of Anthedon to the Byzantine-era Monastery of Saint Hilarion, the physical anchors of Palestinian identity and global history are crumbling into dust, casualties of relentless conflict.

As one of the Best Palestinian Charities operating on the ground, we witness these challenges daily.

The Context: A Crossroads of Civilizations Under Siege

Gaza, a narrow strip of land on the Mediterranean coast, has served as a vital trade route and cultural crossroads for over 4,000 years. It has been ruled by Pharaohs, Philistines, Romans, Byzantines, Crusaders, Mamluks, and Ottomans. This rich, layered history is etched into its landscape, with sites representing nearly every major epoch. The loss of these sites is not merely a local tragedy; it is a profound blow to collective memory.

The ongoing blockade and cycles of conflict have severely hampered preservation efforts for decades, leaving many sites vulnerable. The current escalation has turned this vulnerability into outright devastation, transforming historical landmarks into rubble. This destruction is a deliberate severing of the past from the future, leaving a generation without the tangible proof of their deep roots in this land. The mass displacement further compounds the crisis, as the guardians of this heritage are forced to flee, leaving their cultural treasures unprotected.

The Human Element: The Archaeologist's Loss

For Dr. Layla Al-Hassan, a 55-year-old archaeologist who dedicated her life to uncovering and protecting Gaza’s history, the destruction is a personal agony. She spent two decades working at the Al-Basha Palace, a Mamluk-era fortress in Gaza City that had been converted into a museum. It was her sanctuary, a place where the weight of the present could be lifted by the grandeur of the past.

“When I saw the satellite images, I didn’t cry immediately,” she recounts, her voice a low, steady tremor. “I felt a cold, empty space where my heart should be. It wasn't just a building; it was the library, the Roman mosaics we had just restored, the Ottoman ceramics. It was the physical embodiment of our continuity.”

Dr. Al-Hassan, now sheltering with her extended family in a makeshift camp, holds a small, chipped piece of pottery—a fragment of a Byzantine amphora she salvaged years ago. “This small piece of clay has survived two thousand years of wars and empires. But the palace, the whole structure that protected thousands like it, is gone. It feels like we are losing the argument for our existence, piece by piece.”

The Data: Scale of the Irreversible Damage

Preliminary assessments, often conducted remotely and under extreme duress, paint a grim picture of the scale of cultural destruction. The true extent of the loss may not be known for years, but early data confirms a catastrophic impact across the entire strip.

• Over 200 registered historical and archaeological sites have been damaged or completely destroyed, including significant portions of the ancient city of Anthedon.
• At least 15 major religious sites, including ancient mosques and the third-oldest church in the world, have sustained irreparable structural damage.
• Three central museums, housing thousands of artifacts spanning the Bronze Age to the Islamic period, have been looted or reduced to rubble, with their collections scattered or lost.
• Countless historical documents, manuscripts, and archives—the written record of Gaza’s past—are feared lost due to the destruction of public libraries and cultural centers.
• The vast majority of heritage professionals and cultural workers have been displaced, severely hindering any immediate documentation or salvage efforts.

Operational Update: Yafa Relief, a leading Gaza Charity,’s Emergency Heritage Response

Yafa Relief recognizes that humanitarian Palestine Aid must extend beyond food and shelter to include the preservation of identity. Our response is focused on a two-pronged emergency strategy: documentation and support.

Our teams, operating under immense security and logistical challenges, are working with displaced local archaeologists like Dr. Al-Hassan to establish a digital inventory of the damage. Using satellite imagery, pre-conflict photographs, and eyewitness accounts, we are creating a secure, off-site database—a "digital ark"—to preserve the memory of what has been lost. Access is paramount; reaching damaged sites is often impossible, and the security risks to our personnel are extreme. Fuel shortages and communication blackouts complicate documentation efforts.

Furthermore, Yafa Relief is providing emergency stipends and psychosocial support to displaced cultural workers. By supporting these individuals, we are ensuring that the knowledge required for future reconstruction and restoration remains intact. This is a long-term investment in the soul of the community, ensuring that when the fighting stops, the people who know how to rebuild their history are ready to lead the effort.

How to Help Gaza: A Call to Action: Rebuilding Memory, Restoring Hope

The destruction of heritage is a wound that bleeds across generations, an attempt to erase the very foundation upon which a people stand. But history is not just stone and mortar; it is the memory held by the people, and the commitment of the global community to protect it.

We cannot stand by as millennia of history vanish. Supporting Yafa Relief’s emergency heritage response is an act of solidarity with the past, the present, and the future of Gaza. It is a declaration that culture is not a luxury, but a necessity for survival and recovery. Your donation today will fund the digital documentation, the emergency support for cultural professionals, and the eventual, painstaking work of restoration.

Protect the memory. Restore the future. Donate now.

https://yafarelief.org/donation

When you look for the Best Charity to Donate to Gaza, look for impact, transparency, and direct access. Yafa Relief embodies these values.