Struggle and Solidarity: Writing Toward Palestinian Liberation

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Since the outbreak of Israel’s war on the Gaza Strip in 2023, the destruction has not been limited to homes and public infrastructure. It has also extended to cultural and intellectual heritage, as libraries and archives across the enclave have endured major attacks and significant losses. Reports from human rights and academic organizations indicate that more than 87 public libraries and archives in Gaza have been partially or completely destroyed, resulting in the loss of hundreds of thousands of books, documents, and rare manuscripts that form an essential part of Palestinian cultural and historical memory.

Meanwhile, library visitors gradually disappeared from public spaces. Reading habits shifted to homes, displacement shelters, and digital platforms, as people attempted to preserve their cultural practices amid a war that has devastated the territory and disrupted everyday life.

The Islamic University of Gaza: 1.5 Million Books Bombed

Standing before the remains of the Islamic University of Gaza, researcher Riyad Al-Saawi looks at what is left of a 50-year-old institution — one of the oldest and largest universities in Gaza. Since its establishment, the university’s libraries had served as some of the most important cultural and academic repositories in the Strip, housing more than 1.5 million books covering a wide range of disciplines, from literature, history, and philosophy to science and technology. They also contained academic journals, rare documents, and historical manuscripts that reflected the depth of Palestinian intellectual heritage. The long rows of shelves and the quiet atmosphere of study once made the library a haven for researchers and students, who spent hours reading references, consulting studies, and writing their work in silence.

Al-Saawi gazes at the empty space where the shelves once stood and reflects on the magnitude of the loss.

Al-Saawi gazes at the empty space where the shelves once stood and reflects on the magnitude of the loss.

Al-Saawi gazes at the empty space where the shelves once stood and reflects on the magnitude of the loss. “I came today looking for the library where I spent years writing my research,” he says, his voice carrying both shock and sorrow. “It once held more than 1.5 million books, but I found no trace of it.” Every corner of the........

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