Palestinians in Gaza are defying what they see as Israeli attempts to wipe out their culture.
Two friends have opened a library in Gaza City with books they found under the rubble. Israel has bombed every university in the strip as well as schools, mosques and one of the world’s oldest churches.
The founders of The Phoenix Library believe this was a deliberate attempt to erase Palestinian culture. Omar Hamad and Ibrahim Al-Masri raised $100,000 through crowdfunding and opened their venture in a rare surviving building in Gaza City.
Omar, 30, said: “During the genocide the occupation pursued a policy of eradicating education by destroying schools, universities, and libraries. “It destroyed hundreds of thousands of books – many of them old books that are part of Palestinian heritage.
“…..we wanted to preserve what survived, and revive reading, writing, and research in Gaza amid the immense educational void created by the war.”
He said he wanted to share the refuge that books had offered him during the war. “I was displaced several times, and I was very keen to have my books with me,” he said
“I kept thinking about how I could put these books in a suitable place where everyone could benefit from them, just as they had helped me to alleviate the hardship and bitterness of displacement.”
Ibrahim, 31, said: “It was difficult for us to see educational centres and libraries destroyed, and books burned. “Luckily, we were able to retrieve books from under the rubble of private and university libraries. Other books belonged to people who were martyred during the war and were donated to us by their families.
“We named the library Phoenix [a legendary bird reborn by repeatedly arising from its own ashes] because it conveys rising from the rubble, and hope amid pain,” he added.
“We want to live our lives normally, and to show the world that, despite the circumstances, we remain steadfast in our knowledge, our culture, and our country.”
