Destruction of cultural heritage during the 2023 Israeli invasion of Gaza
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The destruction of cultural heritage during the 2023 Israeli invasion of Gaza 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]
Al Jazeera characterized the destruction as cultural genocide,[2] 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.[4]
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.[5][6][7][8]