Destruction of cultural heritage during the 2023–2024 Israeli invasion of Gaza
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The destruction of cultural heritage during the 2023–2024 Israeli invasion of the Gaza Strip has included the damage and destruction by Israel of hundreds of culturally or historically significant buildings, libraries, museums and other repositories of knowledge in Gaza, alongside the destruction of intangible cultural heritage.[1][2] By late January 2024, more than half of the buildings in Gaza had been damaged or destroyed, leaving residential areas devastated and 1.7 million people displaced.[3]
A request that this article title be changed to Destruction of cultural heritage during the Israeli invasion of the Gaza Strip is under discussion. Please do not move this article until the discussion is closed. |
The destruction has been characterized as cultural genocide,[2][4][5] and South Africa included the destruction of cultural heritage in Gaza as evidence of genocide in their case against Israel at the International Court of Justice.[6]
Cultural heritage is part of civilian infrastructure, and embodies the collective and history of the people who live in the region. Destroyed sites have included archives, museums, mosques, churches and cemeteries. Israel's destruction of cultural heritage in Gaza has been conducted in a systematic way.[7][8][9][10]