The Centre for Cultural Heritage Preservation, in cooperation with the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, launched the results of the report "Damage and Risk Assessment of Cultural Heritage Sites in the Gaza Strip" due to the recent war. The event was attended by the Minister of Tourism and Antiquities, Mr. Hani Al-Hayek, the Minister of Religious Endowments and Religious Affairs, Dr. Mohammad Nijim, the Minister of Social Development, Dr. Samah Hamad, the Director of the British Council Office in Palestine, Ms. Shahida McDougall, the Deputy Minister of Tourism and Antiquities, Mr. Saleh Tawafsheh, a representative from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Emigrants, a representative from UNESCO in Ramallah, and a representative from Italian Cooperation, along with representatives from various international and local cultural heritage institutions. The event was held at the ministry's headquarters in Ramallah, with the option to attend via Zoom.

The Centre for Cultural Heritage Preservation conducted a study to assess the cultural heritage sites in Gaza, in cooperation with the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities and in partnership with the EAMENA Program at the University of Oxford in the UK, funded by the British Council through the CPF (Cultural Heritage Protection) Program. The study took a full year, from March 2024 to February 2025, with the participation of 13 Palestinian experts, supported by the University of Oxford team.

The study covered 316 cultural heritage sites in Gaza, categorized into archaeological sites, heritage buildings, museums, religious buildings, historical cemeteries, cultural landscapes, natural sites, and monuments. A field survey was conducted for all these sites, and satellite images were analyzed, followed by data collection, creating a form for each site, and analyzing the information to assess the damage and its causes. The study revealed that 226 sites out of 316 were damaged, with 138 sites classified as Highly Damaged, 61 sites as Moderately Damaged, and 27 sites as Low Damaged, and 90 sites as Not Damaged.

The estimated budget needed for the recovery of the cultural heritage sector was 261.15 million euros, divided into three phases: the first phase includes urgent interventions to rescue threatened sites and reinforce them, with a required budget of 31.2 million euros. The second phase involves interventions to restore partially threatened sites and rehabilitate them, with an estimated budget of 96.72 million euros. The third phase covers the rebuilding of threatened sites, with a required budget of 133.23 million euros. The implementation of all three phases is expected to take eight years. It is worth noting that this study was conducted during the Israeli aggression on Gaza, where the field team made tremendous and extraordinary efforts, facing many risks to gather the necessary information about the cultural heritage sites. This study serves as a milestone phase for developing rehabilitation and recovery plans for Gaza's tangible cultural heritage sector.

To view the report please click here