Efforts underway to preserve historic Abu Salim Mosque after Israeli strike

China

Efforts underway to preserve historic Abu Salim Mosque after Israeli strike

2026-09-10 19:29 Last Updated At：20:47

Efforts are underway in Gaza to restore what remains of the historic Abu Salim Mosque and preserve that it represents, after the religious site was hit by an Israeli airstrike on August 24.

Located in Deir al-Balah in central Gaza, the Abu Salim Mosque is widely regarded as one of Gaza's oldest and most historically significant religious landmarks.

However, more than half of the mosque currently lies in ruins, with parts of its historic walls collapsing following the Israeli strike.

The municipality and volunteers are trying to salvage whatever they can from the rubble, even the mosque's damaged stones, valued by Palestinians for their historical and cultural significance.

"We are searching for heritage books and stones. When conditions allow reconstruction in the future, the municipality will work with heritage organizations to restore this mosque," said Salem Abu Hasnin, a member of the Deir al-Balah Municipal Council.

The search through the rubble is made harder by a severe lack of equipment and resources.

"This mosque is both a heritage and archaeological site. It was built in 1951 in the Ottoman style. Our team launched a preventive preservation campaign, collecting historic marble pieces and scattered limestone for safekeeping," said Shaimaa Al-Natour, a member of the Heritage Guardians Team.

The mosque's library was also damaged. Among the debris, the team is trying to rescue surviving books and preserve them with whatever materials are available.

"Documenting, archiving and collecting historic books require special preservation boxes. We are working with very limited resources, keeping the books in cardboard or wooden boxes that are not designed for this purpose," said Muhannad Abu Lahya, a cultural heritage guide.

The Palestinian Ministry of Religious Endowments says almost all of Gaza's 1,275 mosques have been targeted since the war began, including well over 1,000 that were completely destroyed.

Despite the widespread destruction, Palestinians remain determined to preserve their heritage, hoping what they save from the rubble can one day be rebuilt into what was lost.

AmCham Shanghai report shows sharp rebound in business confidence among member companies

The 2026 China Business Report, released on Thursday by the American Chamber of Commerce in Shanghai (AmCham Shanghai), revealed a significant rebound in business confidence among its surveyed member companies operating in China.

Business confidence bounced back markedly, as 58 percent of respondents expressed optimism about China's five-year business outlook, up 17 percentage points year on year, the report said.

Profitability rebounded to its highest level since 2019, with 78 percent of respondents profitable in 2025, an increase of 7 percentage points from the 2024 level, according to the report.

As business confidence rebounded and more companies reported profits, investment confidence in China also strengthened, resulting in 28 percent of respondents increasing investment in China last year, the highest level in four years.

Improved market sentiment is also reflected in a positive assessment of China's business environment. Fifty-five percent of surveyed companies said the business environment in China is transparent, up 7 percentage points year on year.

Jeffrey Lehman, chair of AmCham Shanghai, attributed the positive change to eased bilateral tensions and shared expectations for more stable and reciprocal economic and trade relationship, as the two leaders of states reaffirmed multiple times in the past year.

"We do our surveys In June, and so in June of 2025, there was a lot of anxiety among our members about the geopolitical situation. After that, we had the meeting of the leaders in Busan. We had the summit in Beijing in May, the agreement between the two countries that they would try to create a constructive relationship of strategic stability based on fairness and reciprocity. And that is very reassuring to our members because that suggests that there will be a stable environment in which they can operate well. If anxiety about geopolitics slips, that means then, that the number one concern is the continuing improvement in the quality of domestic competition," he said.

The report is based on AmCham Shanghai's 2026 China Business Survey of 262 member companies.