Gaza’s libraries were destroyed: How children refused to let them die
The Children’s Library in Gaza City before the genocide
Jehan Helou writes in The Palestine Chronicle on 9 June 2026
Though destroyed by Israel’s genocide, two Gaza children’s libraries survive through librarians, displaced children, books, memory, and hope.
The Israeli genocide in Gaza continues to devastate every aspect of Palestinian life. Among its most damaging consequences has been the systematic destruction of educational and cultural institutions. All of Gaza’s universities, hundreds of schools, and dozens of libraries have been damaged or destroyed, in what many Palestinians describe as a deliberate campaign of scholasticide.
Yet amid the destruction, Palestinians continue to rebuild, preserve memory, and create spaces for learning and hope. Few stories illustrate this determination more clearly than the struggle to revive two children’s libraries in Beit Hanoun and Rafah.
Established in 2008 with the support of IBBY International, the libraries served some of Gaza’s most marginalized communities. Over the years, they became vibrant centers of learning, creativity, and social life for thousands of children.
Despite repeated Israeli military assaults, the libraries endured. The Beit Hanoun library was completely destroyed in 2014, rebuilt, and continued serving its community until the current genocide inflicted catastrophic damage once again. Throughout the years, twelve children associated with the libraries were killed in Israeli attacks.
For many children, the libraries offered a rare window to the outside world. “I cannot travel outside Gaza, but books take me around the world. They are my magic carpet,” one child said. The libraries encouraged children to write about their lives, experiences, and fears. Their writings documented not only childhood dreams, but also the harsh realities of life under siege and war.