12/31/2023–|Last updated: 12/31/202302:37 PM (Mecca time)
A special video tour of the island showed the massive extent of destruction in landmarks and historical places in Gaza City, as a result of the direct Israeli bombing of these famous and central sites in the Gaza Strip.
The video scenes at the beginning document how the historic Samra Bath on Omar Al-Mukhtar Street in Gaza City became a rubble, its features disappearing among the rubble as a result of its exposure to warplane missiles.
The historic Samra Bath is a historical landmark, a medical shrine, and a vital outlet for the besieged people of the Gaza Strip. It is the last of the archaeological baths, which dates back to the Ottoman era, as it was established and restored 865 years ago, according to what was stated by the administrative official for the bath, Youssef Al-Wazir.
In the middle of the video tour, traces of major destruction appear in the Grand Omari Mosque, where Israeli forces deliberately targeted its minaret, courtyards, historical rooms, and collectibles.
The Grand Al-Omari Mosque is considered the oldest and most prestigious mosque in the Gaza Strip. It was founded during the reign of Caliph Omar bin Al-Khattab. It is considered the third largest mosque in Palestine after Al-Aqsa Mosque and Ahmed Pasha Al-Jazzar Mosque. It was a temple in the Roman era, then it was transformed into a church, and after the Islamic conquest it became the largest mosque in the Strip. Ibn Battuta described it as a beautiful mosque.
The tour ends with the unfortunate historical loss of the historic Pasha Palace in the Daraj neighborhood, and all its facilities, which were destroyed and devastated as a result of the Israeli targeting.
The palace, which combines two buildings dating back to the Mamluk (1260-1516) and Ottoman (1516-1917) eras, includes a museum in which the Ministry of Antiquities in Gaza displayed unique artifacts dating back to the “Greek, Roman, Byzantine and Islamic eras,” while it received tens of thousands of visitors annually.
Destruction of the ancient bath
The Palestinian Ministry of Culture said – yesterday, Saturday – that the Israeli bombing of Gaza completely destroyed the only remaining archaeological bath in the Strip, whose construction dates back nearly a thousand years.
The ministry added in a statement, “The Israeli occupation aircraft bombed Hamam Al-Samra in the center of Gaza City and completely destroyed it.”
The Ministry explained in a statement that the area of the bath is “about 500 square metres, and it is considered a tourist and therapeutic attraction at the same time. The first people to work on it were the Samaritans, and from here it began to be called the Samra Bath.”
The ministry posted on its Facebook page pictures of the bathroom before and after the bombing.
Israel has continued to bomb the Gaza Strip since October 7, after a Hamas attack on settlements and Israeli army camps in the vicinity of the Gaza Strip.
The Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza says that the Israeli attack on the Strip has so far killed more than 21,600 Palestinians, most of whom are children and women, in addition to thousands of people missing under the rubble.
The Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) called on UNESCO – and other international organizations concerned with protecting archaeological and historical sites – to stand up to the crime of the occupation army’s deliberate targeting of most historical sites and monuments in the Gaza Strip.
She added in a statement that the occupation targeted more than 200 historical archaeological sites dating back to ancient times and eras that bear witness to the nobility, authenticity and heritage of the Palestinian people, in an attempt to erase the national cultural identity.
There was no comment from the Israeli army regarding its targeting of the ancient Hamam al-Samra.