GAZA CITY: After two years of conflict between Israel and Hamas, Palestinian laborers removed sand and crumbling masonry from the remnants of a historic medieval fortress that was converted into a museum in Gaza City, one bucket at a time.
The bomb-damaged buildings of the Pasha Palace Museum, which once housed Napoleon Bonaparte on a one-night stay in Gaza, were excavated by hand by a dozen workmen wearing high-visibility jackets. They stacked rubble to be disposed of in one pile and stones to be reused in another. The squad worked silently as an Israeli surveillance drone buzzed loudly overhead.
More than 70% of the palace’s structures were destroyed, according to Hamouda Al-Dahdar, the cultural heritage specialist in charge of the restoration efforts. “The Pasha Palace Museum is one of the most important sites destroyed during the recent war in Gaza City,” he stated.
Since the conflict in Gaza began on October 7, 2023, 114 sites, including the Pasha Palace, had been damaged, according to UNESCO, the UN’s cultural heritage organization, as of October 2025. The Omari Mosque in Gaza City and the Saint Hilarion Monastery complex, one of the oldest Christian monasteries in the Middle East, are two more damaged locations.
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