Volunteers in Gaza City are working to salvage thousands of ancient books from the damaged library of the Great Omari Mosque, one of the oldest and most significant libraries in the Palestinian territories. The mosque was heavily damaged during the war that began in October 2023, leaving much of the library buried under rubble, dust and ash.

Before the conflict, the library held around 20,000 books, including rare manuscripts and works on jurisprudence, medicine, literature and Islamic law. Today, fewer than 3,000 to 4,000 volumes remain. Volunteers carefully sift through debris, brushing soot and gunpowder residue from fragile pages that have been exposed to the elements for more than two years.

According to the United Nations cultural agency, 150 heritage sites in Gaza have been damaged since the start of the war, including religious and historically significant buildings. An independent United Nations commission reported in 2025 that attacks on cultural and religious sites amounted to war crimes, a claim rejected by Israel.

For those leading the restoration effort, preserving the surviving books is about safeguarding Gaza's historical record. They say the volumes bear witness to centuries of the city's history and represent an irreplaceable part of its cultural identity.