Destruction of Cultural Heritage and Looting of Antiquities in Gaza: Targeting Palestinian Memory and Identity

Context

The Gaza Strip is one of the world’s oldest continuously inhabited urban centers. Over centuries, successive civilizations have left behind a rich concentration of archaeological, religious, and architectural sites. However, Israel’s genocide in Gaza has already destroyed numerous sites, threatening the Palestinian civilizational legacy and risking systematic erasure amid widespread bombardment, destruction, obstruction of restoration efforts, and the absence of effective protection mechanisms.

Palestinian cultural heritage has faced extensive destruction and systematic targeting by the occupying Power, Israel. Historic neighborhoods, places of worship, museums, traditional markets, historic homes, and even cemeteries have been damaged or destroyed, with documented incidents of looting and theft of antiquities. These acts constitute serious violations of international humanitarian law and conventions protecting cultural property. Beyond physical damage, the deliberate destruction of cultural heritage threatens collective memory and historical identity, and is viewed by experts as a form of “cultural genocide.”

The report by the Independent International Commission of Inquiry (COI) on the occupied Palestinian territory details attacks on educational, religious, and cultural institutions in Gaza, highlighting the systematic destruction of religious and cultural sites, including historic churches, mosques, and libraries. The report concludes that these attacks are unjustified, infringe the rights to education and culture, and are linked to efforts to undermine Palestinian identity.

The Commission also documented credible allegations of antiquities looting from several historic sites, including Qasr al-Basha (Pasha’s Palace), the Museum Hotel, the Israa University Museum, and a warehouse belonging to the French Biblical and Archaeological School, reportedly carried out by members of the Israeli occupation forces (IOF) or other actors.

Systematic Destruction and Piracy of Cultural Heritage

According to the Palestinian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, Gaza is home to 316 key archaeological and cultural sites, including historic buildings, archaeological landmarks, and natural heritage sites. However, 226 of these sites have been destroyed or significantly damaged due to Israel’s deliberate airstrikes and ground operations.

Following the ceasefire declared on 10 October 2025, UNESCO conducted rapid on-site damage assessments where access was possible. By 20 January 2026, UNESCO had documented damage to at least 150 cultural and heritage sites in Gaza since October 2023, of which 140 were located in the Gaza Governorate. These sites include religious institutions, historic buildings, museums, archaeological sites, and cultural centers.

Examples of affected sites include:

• Qasr al-Basha (Pasha’s Palace): A 13th-century Mamluk landmark converted into a museum in 2010, houses collections spanning multiple historical periods. It has been struck and bulldozed by the IOF, sustained severe structural damage, and had its collections reported as looted.
• Anthedon Harbour (Blakhiyah Port): Listed on UNESCO’s Tentative World Heritage List and dating to approximately 800 BCE, one of the oldest ports in the eastern Mediterranean. It suffered moderate to severe direct damage, threatening its unique remains.
• The Great Omari Mosque, one of Gaza’s oldest religious and historic landmarks, was bombed on 8 December 2023 and almost completely destroyed.
• Saint Hilarion Monastery (Tell Umm Amer): One of the oldest Christian monasteries in the Middle East and inscribed on the World Heritage List under enhanced protection, it sustained damage and required emergency rescue operations for archaeological artifacts. In January 2024, UNESCO placed it under temporary enhanced protection.
• Dar al-Saqqa (Saqqa Palace): Built in 1661, one of the oldest houses in Gaza. It was almost entirely destroyed.
• Al-Qaysariyya Market (Gold Market): A major Mamluk-era commercial complex. It was bombed three times, sustaining heavy damage.
• The Roman Cemetery: Discovered in March 2022 and dating to the first century BCE, it sustained significant damage.
• Sabil al-Rifaiyya: An Ottoman-era public fountain and one of Palestine’s oldest monuments. It suffered major damage during the bombardment of the al-Daraj neighborhood.
• Cultural institutions, including Al-Nasr Cinema, Al-Samer Cinema, the Edward Said National Conservatory of Music, and the Rashad al-Shawa Cultural Center, which housed the Diana Tamari Sabbagh Public Library with over 100,000 books, were destroyed in deliberate strikes, including the attack on 23 November 2023.

Beyond destruction, looting is an escalating threat amid siege conditions, institutional collapse, and restricted access to sites. Indicators suggest the disappearance of thousands of artifacts previously preserved in historic sites and museums following Israeli bombardment.

Estimates indicate that approximately 20,000 rare artifacts, spanning from prehistoric periods to the Ottoman era, have been looted or lost. This includes more than 17,000 artifacts formerly housed in Qasr al-Basha, all of which reportedly went missing after the IOF entered the site in the summer of 2025. Saint Hilarion Monastery was also reportedly the target of systematic theft in November 2024.

Israel destroyed and looted approximately 12 local museums, including the al-Qarrara Museum in Khan Younis and the Rafah Museum of Palestinian Heritage. Their collections included archaeological finds, historical documents, and archives that had not been fully digitized, resulting in irreparable cultural loss.

These patterns indicate that Israel’s targeting of Palestinian heritage is not incidental but part of a systematic pattern aimed at ethnic cleansing and erasing material evidence of Palestinian history and presence, with profound implications for identity, collective memory, and the local economy.

Cost of Damage and Material Losses

The destruction of tourism and cultural assets undermines employment, investment, education, and research capacity. According to the Rapid Damage and Needs Assessment (RDNA), the cultural and heritage sector has sustained direct physical damage estimated at approximately USD 120 million, with additional economic losses of roughly USD 55 million due to the disruption of cultural activities and related value chains.

Within the broader context of devastation in Gaza, the tourism sector alone has suffered estimated losses of USD 3.9 billion. The IOF reportedly destroyed 4,992 tourism-related facilities, resulting in the permanent or temporary loss of 15,265 jobs.

United Nations and World Bank estimates place the total cost of Gaza’s reconstruction at approximately USD 70 billion, reflecting extensive damage to infrastructure and essential services, including cultural heritage and tourism assets. The Palestinian government’s Recovery and Reconstruction Implementation Program estimates that safeguarding and rehabilitating heritage sites and restoring cultural activities will require approximately USD 210 million.

Conclusion

Since the onset of Israel’s genocide in the Gaza Strip, most documented cultural heritage sites have been destroyed or severely damaged. Such acts breach obligations under the 1954 Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict, the Geneva Conventions, and relevant UNESCO instruments. They may constitute war crimes and acts of cultural persecution under the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court.

The absence of effective international accountability risks exacerbating impunity and further targeting Palestinian cultural heritage. The destruction and theft of cultural property in Gaza represent not only a material loss but also an attempt at erasure through a direct assault on memory, identity, and the historical continuity of the people of Palestine.

Immediate international action is required to thoroughly document Israeli violations and destruction, prevent additional looting, protect the remaining cultural assets, and preserve Gaza’s heritage as an integral part of humanity’s shared cultural legacy.