Saving Books From the Rubble: A Man in Gaza Protects a Memory He Refuses to Let War Erase

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip / PNN /

Amid the rubble left by the war in the Gaza Strip, Palestinians are trying to save what remains of their books and libraries, seeing them as part of a cultural memory under threat.

Among them is Mohammed Saad, a displaced resident of Beit Lahia who risked returning to his hometown to retrieve the books from his 35-year-old library. He left behind his household belongings and took only the books, carrying them to Deir al-Balah, where he has made them available free of charge to displaced Palestinians in an effort to keep reading and learning alive amid war and displacement.

When Saad returned to Beit Lahia, he found his library destroyed and its books buried beneath the rubble. Despite the shelling and gunfire, he was determined to recover as many as he could and move them to safety.

"I didn't take anything from my home except the books," Saad said, explaining that he was determined to save them from being lost beneath the ruins.

The library had been part of his life for 35 years. To Saad, rescuing its books was about more than preserving personal possessions. He feared that the destruction of libraries and books would also mean the loss of knowledge and culture.

Today, the library is open to everyone, particularly people who cannot afford to buy books.

Saad believes access to knowledge should not depend on a person's ability to pay.

Among those who have found a place to read in the library is Mustafa Abu Saud, a displaced Palestinian from Rafah and a master's student in international relations and political science.

Abu Saud has long frequented libraries and collected books, particularly because his studies and research require a wide range of references. But after being displaced to Deir al-Balah, he struggled to find the books he needed.

When he discovered Saad's collection, he found valuable books covering a range of subjects. He now visits regularly, usually every week or two, to browse new books and

What makes the library special, Abu Saud said, is the story behind its collection: Saad rescued the books from beneath the rubble of Beit Lahia and carried them to Deir al-Balah, giving them a second life and making them available to displaced people, particularly children and women.

The library is open to people across the Gaza Strip, Abu Saud said, and anyone who cannot afford a book can come and read for free.

Making books available for free or at symbolic prices, he said, is a way of serving Palestinian society and keeping the habit of reading alive despite war and displacement.

For Abu Saud, a book is more than a source of knowledge."It is part of the struggle and of preserving identity," he said, describing reading as a way for Palestinians to affirm themselves and their community despite the harsh conditions they face.

For Saad, protecting the books goes beyond saving his library. He sees books as a means of education and of building people and communities.

He credits the books he read over the years with much of the education and cultural knowledge he acquired.

Even now, living in a tent, he continues to protect the books he managed to rescue. He lacks a proper place to store them and shield them from rain and damage, but he remains determined to keep them safe.

Between the tent that shelters him and the books he struggles to protect, Saad continues to hold on to knowledge.

For him, preserving a book means preserving culture and identity — and ensuring that, no matter how severe the war becomes, it does not extinguish people's desire to learn and read.

This video was produced with financial support from CFI, Expertise France and the European Union. The beneficiary is solely responsible for the content of this document, which in no way reflects the views of CFI, Expertise France or the European Union.