SHOTLIST:

GAZA, PALESTINE (NOV. 25, 2025) (ANADOLU - ACCESS ALL)

1. VARIOUS OF PEOPLE AND VEHICLES MOVING AROUND RUBBLE OF AL-GHAFRI TOWER HIT BY ISRAELI STRIKES

2. VARIOUS OF BOOKS AND PAPERS FOUND AMONG DEBRIS

3. WOMAN EXAMINING DAMAGED BOOKS AND MANUSCRIPTS

4. VARIOUS OF WOMAN SHOWING SOME MANUSCRIPTS TO CAMERA

5. (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) HANIN AL-UMSI, DIRECTOR OF AYUN ALA AL-TURATH GROUP, SPEAKING TO REPORTER AND SAYING:

[...] "Many rare manuscripts and books were lost under the rubble due to heavy bombardment. We are trying to preserve the remaining written heritage and search for lost works." [...]

"This institution was full of all kinds of knowledge and knowledge, and this group was a group of people who were born in Palestine before the year 840." [...]

"The entire archive, the records, photos, and photos of the Ottoman Empire, are now under the rubble. The records are on the ground under the covers. The maps and the heritage of the people's identity are all over the place." [...] GAZA, PALESTINE - NOVEMBER 25: Israeli strikes in Gaza have demolished a collection of Ottoman-era archives, leaving records, maps and photographs buried under the rubble and erasing a key part of the area’s historical heritage.

The rare manuscripts were largely damaged when the Israeli army brought down in mid-September the Al-Ghafri Tower, a 20-story high-rise in western Gaza City and the tallest building in the enclave, after ordering residents to leave within minutes.

The tower was home to hundreds of Palestinian families, as well as offices for media production companies and other businesses.

The Ayun Ala al-Turath group also kept their rich archive of Ottoman-era manuscripts and documents in the tower.

"Many rare manuscripts and books were lost under the rubble due to heavy bombardment. We are trying to preserve the remaining written heritage and search for lost works," said Hanin al-Umsi, the director of the group.

She said the institution had been full of all kinds of knowledge, and that the group was made up of people whose roots in Palestine went back to before the year 840.

"The entire archive, the records, photos, and photos of the Ottoman Empire, are now under the rubble. The records are on the ground under the covers. The maps and the heritage of the people's identity are all over the place," she told.

According to the group, intense Israeli attacks have left much of the region’s cultural memory in ruins.

Since October 2023, the Israeli army has killed nearly 70,000 victims in Gaza, primarily women and children, injured over 170,800, and reduced the enclave to rubble.

A ceasefire between Israel and Hamas was reached on Oct. 10, based on a 20-point peace plan proposed by US President Donald Trump. Israel, however, has violated the truce multiple times.