Israeli forces strike Gaza archives: Centuries-old documents damaged in attack

In a post on its official account on Facebook, the Municipality of Gaza reported that the Israeli forces shelled the central archives building, which resulted in significant destruction and a large fire in the building located in the main municipality headquarters in Palestine Square. 

Thousands of historical documents documenting the city's architecture and developmental stages were destroyed.

The municipality said that the "occupation deliberately targeted the building and destroyed the documents to plunge the city into a state of chaos and destroy everything symbolizing the city's history and civilization."

It added that the archives contain historical documents exceeding 100 years of age.

The municipality affirmed that targeting civilian and service facilities constitutes a clear violation of international humanitarian law. 

It urged the international community to acknowledge its responsibility, "curb the occupation, and halt its targeting of civilians and civilian facilities."

It noted that the "Israeli occupation has destroyed various aspects of civil and human life, as well as service facilities in the city, causing a significant humanitarian tragedy in the city and various areas of the Gaza Strip."