Gaza Herald _Volunteers in the central Gaza Strip city of Deir al-Balah have launched an initiative to preserve what remains of the historic Abu Salim Mosque after it was heavily damaged in an Israeli strike on August 24.
The campaign, organized by the Mayaser Association for Culture and Arts in cooperation with the Heritage Guardians team, has focused on clearing rubble, cleaning the mosque’s corridors and surrounding courtyards, and collecting scattered stones and historic marble columns.
The architectural fragments are being carefully preserved in a safe location in preparation for a future restoration effort, with the aim of reusing as many of the original materials as possible.
Deir al-Balah Mayor Khalil Abu Samra described Abu Salim Mosque as an important historic landmark. Built in 1951 with funding from Hajj Mohammed Abu Salim, the mosque was designed in the Ottoman architectural style.
“We preserved this mosque for many years, but this day came when the Israeli occupation struck and bombed it,” Abu Samra said. “Yet, through the hands of the Heritage Guardians and the guardians of the homeland, God willing, it will be restored and return to what it once was.”
Shaimaa Al-Natour, coordinator of the Heritage Guardians campaign at the Mayaser Association for Culture and Arts, said the team’s presence at the mosque is part of emergency preservation measures aimed at protecting one of Gaza’s remaining cultural landmarks.
She explained that volunteers arrived at the site shortly after it was struck and sought the necessary arrangements to begin preservation work.
“The first phase focuses on collecting scattered stones and historic marble columns and moving them to a safe location,” Al-Natour said. “Further stages will focus on restoring the mosque and returning it to its previous form.”
The Heritage Guardians team works to protect archaeological and cultural heritage across Gaza and Palestine, even as numerous historic sites have suffered extensive damage during Israel’s ongoing war on the territory.
Abu Salim Mosque is considered one of Deir al-Balah’s most prominent religious and architectural landmarks. It was built in 1951 on an elevated area known locally as Al-Hadba Al-Qibliya. A restoration project carried out in 2010 preserved many of its original architectural features.
The mosque had previously been damaged during an Israeli attack in 2014, when the upper section of its minaret was struck and its facade was damaged. It was later restored through cooperation between the Riwaq Centre for Architectural Conservation and the Iwan Center for Cultural Heritage.
On August 24, however, another Israeli strike caused extensive destruction to the mosque’s courtyard and part of its main structure. Images from the site showed widespread damage to the building and its surrounding area.
The destruction of Abu Salim Mosque comes amid the widespread devastation inflicted on Gaza’s religious and cultural heritage during Israel’s war, which began in October 2023.
According to Gaza’s Ministry of Endowments and Religious Affairs, Israel has completely destroyed 1,050 mosques and partially damaged another 191, out of the 1,275 mosques that stood across the Gaza Strip before the war.
As Gaza continues to endure immense destruction, efforts like those led by the Heritage Guardians seek to protect what remains, not only stones and historic structures, but pieces of Palestinian memory, identity, and history that have survived generations.
