The story of a book in Gaza: A treasured possession given new lease of life
Summary
A ten-year-old girl named Aya in Gaza now holds a repaired book that survived destruction during the war between Israel and Gaza. Many books and school buildings in Gaza were damaged or destroyed, but efforts by locals like Mohammed Saad to recover and repair books help children continue learning despite the conflict.Key Facts
- Aya al-Shawa, a 10-year-old student in northern Gaza, received a book that was recovered after her school building was bombed.
- About 98% of school buildings in the Gaza Strip have been destroyed or damaged according to UNICEF.
- Since the war began in October 2023, nearly 700,000 children in Gaza have been cut off from regular in-person schooling.
- Mohammed Saad, a longtime book collector, lost most of his 50,000 to 100,000 books when his library was destroyed on December 7, 2023.
- Saad recovered around 12,000 books from the rubble and set up a tent library to repair and lend them to children.
- Children visit Saad’s tent library daily and can buy books at low prices to afford them.
- The tents protect books from war damage but are vulnerable to weather like rain and heat.
- Another local, Omar Hamad, has located and recovered about 3,000 more books from destroyed libraries and private collections.
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