Palestinians look to salvage Gaza's history from the ruins of Israel's military offensive

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP) — Muneer Elbaz remembers the joy of visiting the Great Omari Mosque in Gaza with his family, praying at a site where people have worshipped over centuries as empires came and went.

“These were the best days,” Elbaz said, as he recalled promenading through the lively markets around the mosque before the Israel-Hamas war. “This place transports us from one era to another.”

Today, much of the mosque stands in ruins — like most of Gaza — after being hit by Israeli strikes in the two-year war muffled by an uncertain ceasefire. The sight of the rubble brings to mind “a tree that had been uprooted from the land,” said Elbaz, a Palestinian heritage consultant involved with recovery work at the site.

Israel’s military offensive killed over 72,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza's Health Ministry, and erased entire extended families.

Gone too is some of the heritage of a land with a rich history going back to ancient times. The mosque was built on a site where a Byzantine church had stood, and changed hands and even religions as one invader followed another.

With major military operations halted, Palestinians are gaining a clearer picture of the destruction. Some organizations are trying to save what they can at historical sites, even as full-scale restoration — and the broader reconstruction of the territory — face major obstacles.

Israel launched its offensive after Hamas-led militants killed some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and took another 251 hostage in the Oct. 7, 2023, attack. The military accuses Hamas of concealing military assets beneath or near heritage sites, as well as other civilian structures.

The U.N. cultural agency, in an ongoing assessment based on satellite images, says it has verified damage to at least 150 sites since the start of the war. They include 14 religious sites, 115 buildings of historical or artistic interest, nine monuments and eight archaeological sites.

They are fragments of Gaza’s soul, connecting Palestinians to a place and a history that many fear is at risk of being erased.

“These sites were an important element that solidifies the presence of the Palestinian people on this land and that represents the continuity of their cultural identity,” said Issam Juha, co-director of the Centre for Cultural Heritage Preservation, based in the Israeli-occupied West Bank.

“They want to erase the Palestinian identity and Palestinian heritage and ... to remove any connection that keeps the Palestinian society clinging to this land,” he said.

The center is doing urgent rescue work at the badly damaged Pasha Palace, which housed centuries-old artifacts, many of which appear to have been looted, Juha said. Among the missing items are an Ottoman-era Quranic manuscript, jewelry from the medieval Mamluk era and a Roman-era sarcophagus from which only some fragments have been recovered, according to Hamouda al-Dohdar, an expert working at the site.

The Israeli military said it struck “a Hamas military compound and an anti-tank missile array” at the site. It said its forces struck a “terror tunnel” at the Omari mosque. It did not provide evidence in either case.

Amir Abu al-Omrain, an official with Gaza's endowments ministry, part of the Hamas-run government, denied the allegation about the mosque.

UNESCO does not have a mandate to assign responsibility for the damage it assesses.

An independent commission established by the U.N.’s Human Rights Council said it was not aware of any evidence of a tunnel shaft in the mosque. Noting the Israeli allegations about the mosque, it said that even the presence of a "legitimate military objective … would not have justified the resulting damage.” Israel has previously accused the commission of bias.

The centuries-old Saint Porphyrius Orthodox church complex, which had been sheltering displaced Palestinians, was also hit in an Israeli attack early in the war, causing deaths and injuries. The military said it had targeted a nearby Hamas command center. UNESCO said the church complex was moderately damaged.

Some of Gaza's heritage sites appear to have been spared. UNESCO said it has found no evidence of damage at the Saint Hilarion Monastery, dating to the 4th century.

Under international law, cultural property should not be targeted or used for military purposes.

The Israeli military says it takes the sensitivity of cultural and religious sites into account, aims to minimize damage to civilian infrastructure and adheres to international law.

Artifacts and accounts stretching back thousands of years testify to Gaza’s long history of commerce and conflict. Egypt’s pharaohs sent chariots through the low-lying coastal strip in their wars with the Hittites in modern-day Turkey. Traders in Gaza did brisk business with the ancient Greeks.

The Omari mosque, named for Islam’s second caliph, was initially built in the seventh century. Centuries later, the Crusaders converted it into a cathedral, and it went back to being a mosque after they were expelled, said Stephennie Mulder, associate professor of Islamic art at the University of Texas at Austin.

The mosque was damaged during World War I, when the British shelled Gaza in their campaign against the Ottoman Turks, and was later rebuilt.

“The building itself told the story of Gaza’s past as a crossroads of trade, armies, empires, and religious traditions,” said Mulder. “For many Gazans, the Omari mosque stood as a beloved symbol of multiplicity, resilience and persistence.”

Mohammad Shareef, 62, remembers attending prayers at the mosque with his father when he was a child, and studying for exams in its quiet confines. Years later, he would bring his own children there. He wept when it was hit.

“We were raised in it and around it, and there’s no stone here that we haven’t stepped on,” he said. “For the people of Gaza, this is their history.”

The loss will feel particularly acute during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, which begins later this month. Before the war, thousands converged on the mosque for Ramadan prayers amid a festive atmosphere. This year, a large tented structure has been erected.

In recent days, workers have been filling wheelbarrows in the shadow of a damaged minaret.

Hosni Almazloum, an engineer working at the site, said the mosque’s prayer hall ceiling had collapsed and columns had crumbled. He said it could be rebuilt, if construction supplies are allowed in. For now, teams have been focused on recovery and preventing further damage, sifting through and storing stones.

The U.S.-brokered ceasefire agreement, which halted most of the fighting in October, gives no timeline for Gaza’s reconstruction, which may prove impossible if Israel maintains the blockade it imposed on the territory when Hamas seized power in 2007, after the militant group won Palestinian elections in 2006.

Many historic sites suffered from neglect before the war. The blockade and previous Israel-Hamas wars, along with a lack of resources and urban sprawl, posed challenges. Hamas-run authorities have leveled parts of what archaeologists believe was a Bronze Age settlement to make way for construction projects.

Elbaz says that before the ceasefire, grief was a luxury he couldn’t afford — his family was just trying to survive.

“What would you begin to cry over?” he asked. “The historic mosques or your home or your history or your children’s schools or the streets?”

Now, as he processes the war’s toll, he sometimes weeps, away from the eyes of his children.

“Gaza is our mother,” he said. “We have memories everywhere — in this tree, this flower, this garden and this mosque. Yes, we cry over every part of Gaza.”

Fam reported from Cairo.

Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP’s collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.

Workers inspect Hamam al-Sumara, a historic bathhouse in Gaza City, after it was heavily damaged during the Israel-Hamas war, Tuesday, Jan. 27, 2026. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)

FILE – Archaeological columns are displayed outside the Pasha Palace, a museum housing artifacts that was later damaged in the Israel-Hamas war, in Gaza City, Tuesday, July 16, 2019. (AP Photo/Khalil Hamra, File)

A view of the historic Pasha Palace in Gaza City after an Israeli airstrike badly damaged the building during the war in the Gaza Strip, Wednesday, Jan. 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)

FILE - A Palestinian woman walks past the historic Pasha Palace in Gaza City after an Israeli airstrike badly damaged the building during the war in the Gaza Strip, Thursday, Nov. 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi, File)

FILE - Workers carry out recovery projects and search for missing artifacts at the Pasha Palace in Gaza City after an Israeli strike damaged it during the war with Hamas, Thursday, Nov. 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi, File)

FILE - Palestinians gather outside the Great Omari Mosque after the afternoon prayer in Gaza City. Friday, Sept. 14, 2018. (AP Photo/Felipe Dana, File)

FILE - Palestinian vendors set up outside the Barqouq Castle, which was later damaged during the Israel-Hamas war, in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, Wednesday, July 17, 2019. (AP Photo/Khalil Hamra, File)

Palestinians walk in front of the Barqouq Castle in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip after it was damaged during the Israel-Hamas war Thursday, Jan. 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem)

FILE - Palestinians rest outside the steam room at Hamam al-Sumara, a historic bathhouse in Gaza City, Saturday, May 2, 2015. Hamam al-Sumara means "Samaritans' Bath" in Arabic. (AP Photo/Khalil Hamra, File)

A visitor looks at antiquities displayed at the Pasha Palace, a museum in Gaza City that was later damaged in the Israel-Hamas war, in Gaza City, July 16, 2019. (AP Photo/Khalil Hamra, File)

FILE - Palestinians rest at the reception of Hamam al-Sumara a historic bathhouse in Gaza City, Saturday, May 2, 2015. Hamam al-Sumara means "Samaritans' Bath" in Arabic. (AP Photo/Khalil Hamra, File)

FILE - Palestinians gather to attend Friday prayers at the Great Omari Mosque, which was damaged during the Israeli military's air and ground operation in Gaza City, Friday, Feb. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi, File)

Palestinian children walk through rubble at the Great Omari Mosque in Gaza City after it was damaged by an Israeli strike during the war with Hamas, Wednesday. Feb. 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)

FILE - Palestinians attend Friday prayers at the Great Omari Mosque in Gaza City after it was damaged by Israeli bombardment during the Israel–Hamas war, Friday, Nov. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi, File)

FILE - Palestinian men rest or pray in the Great Omari Mosque in Gaza City during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan before it was damaged by an Israeli strike during the war with Hamas, Tuesday, Aug. 17, 2010. (AP Photo/ Khalil Hamra, File)

FILE - Palestinians attend Friday prayers at the Great Omari Mosque in Gaza City after it was damaged by an Israeli strike during the war with Hamas, Friday, Nov. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi, File)

A view of the Great Omari Mosque in Gaza City after it was damaged by an Israeli strike during the war with Hamas, Wednesday. Feb. 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Casey Mears spun on pit road, got briefly stuck in the infield grass and missed a last-lap crash by mere inches. After all that, he finished eighth a qualifying race Thursday night for the Daytona 500, good enough to get him into “The Great American Race.”

Mears choked back tears three separate times after squeezing into the 41-car field as the highest-finishing “open” car in the first of two 150-mile qualifying races.

“I was worried when we got stuck. I was worried about going two laps down,” Mears said. “Actually got on the radio and asked all the guys to stay calm, said, ‘We still got a shot here.’ For sure when we were sitting in the grass, that wasn’t pretty.

“I can’t believe it. After all that, being sitting in position to go race the Daytona 500 on Sunday, pretty much the whole race I was thinking that was out of our grasp.”

Anthony Alfredo initially earned the final spot in the starting lineup in the second qualifier, but NASCAR disqualified his car and the berth was set to go to B.J. McLeod pending post-race inspection.

Joey Logano of Team Penske won the first race and Chase Elliott of Hendrick Motorsports took the second. Both were already assured of spots in NASCAR’s season opener and will start on the second row Sunday.

Mears is driving for Garage 66, a team owned by former driver Carl Long with just 10 employees on hand in Daytona. The 47-year-old driver is in pursuit of 500 career Cup Series starts and received financial assistance from former NASCAR team owner Bob Germain to enter Daytona.

Mears, who last competed full-time in 2016, will make his 495th start Sunday. With his fate uncertain, his wife and 14-year-old son booked two separate plane tickets from their home in Phoenix. His daughter has a cheerleading competition in Las Vegas, and they were either headed to see her or to Florida to watch Mears in the Daytona 500.

“Couldn’t be happier they’re taking that flight to Orlando. Gosh, dang, man, got choked up. It means a lot,” he said. “It just means a lot. Especially now, you know what I mean? My kids were younger when I was racing. Even before I started doing this this last year, I’d asked my son about, ‘Do you remember this or that?’ He didn’t remember. He was young.

“To come back and do it now, my kids, the ages they’re at, they understand what dad did for a living is cool.”

Like Mears, Alfredo was also in tears after making the Daytona 500 for what he thought was the third time in his career. He missed the race last year.

“My career is a lot of ups and downs and you never know when you will get another shot to race on any Sunday, especially the Daytona 500, the Great American Race,” Alfredo said. “Missing it last year has haunted me until this very moment. This is the only thing that could pull that black cloud over.”

His joy was short-lived as NASCAR announced the Beard Motorsports entry was disqualified. NASCAR was inspecting McLeod's car

Logano won the first Daytona 500 qualifying race when a crash in overtime cost Corey LaJoie the spot that went to Mears.

Logano in a Ford for Team Penske had control of the race when a caution for a five-car accident with four laps remaining brought out the yellow. Logano had the lead on the restart for the two-lap sprint to the finish and wasn’t challenged before the final crash ended LaJoie’s hopes and gave Logano his fourth victory in a Daytona qualifying race.

Logano is a three-time Cup champion who won the Daytona 500 in 2015.

“I do think we have a strong race car, obviously a fast race car, we proved that,” Logano said. “There’s definitely some things I want to work on, no doubt. It’s always like that. We have to have speed. We’ll work on some handling pieces, but I feel like we’re pretty close.”

Elliott, the 2020 NASCAR champion, has won a qualifying race three times now.

“A great way to get the blood pumping for sure on a Thursday night,” Elliott said. "Nice to get the NAPA Chevy a win. Not a 500. I’ve been here before and not the other one, so you have to kind of learn to take it a day at a time.

“A great way to start the speed week for our team. Proud of our effort, everybody at Hendrick Motorsports, the boss, from top to bottom. Good night. Looking forward to Sunday.”

The four drivers who failed to qualify for the 41-car field were Alfredo, LaJoie, Chandler Smith and JJ Yeley. Two spots were earned in Wednesday night's time trials and went to Justin Allgaier and Corey Heim.

Kyle Busch won the pole in time trials as he attempts to win his first Daytona 500 in 21 starts.

AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing

Joey Logano and crew celebrate a win in Victory Lane during the first of two NASCAR Daytona 500 qualifying auto races at Daytona International Speedway, Thursday, Feb. 12, 2026, in Daytona Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)

Chase Elliott celebrates winning the second of two NASCAR Daytona 500 qualifying auto races at Daytona International Speedway, Thursday, Feb. 12, 2026, in Daytona Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)

Cars move on the track during the first of two NASCAR Daytona 500 qualifying auto races at Daytona International Speedway, Thursday, Feb. 12, 2026, in Daytona Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/David Graham)

Casey Mears speaks during a NASCAR Daytona 500 media day, Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2026, in Daytona, Fla. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)

Joey Logano, (22) wins during the first of two NASCAR Daytona 500 qualifying auto races at Daytona International Speedway, Thursday, Feb. 12, 2026, in Daytona Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)

Joey Logano and crew celebrate a win in Victory Lane during the first of two NASCAR Daytona 500 qualifying auto races at Daytona International Speedway, Thursday, Feb. 12, 2026, in Daytona Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)

Cars runs during the first of two NASCAR Daytona 500 qualifying auto races at Daytona International Speedway, Thursday, Feb. 12, 2026, in Daytona Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)

Joey Logano watches the leader board during NASCAR Daytona 500 qualifying, Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2026, in Daytona, Fla. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)