Under rubble and rain, Gaza women try to save rare books in centuries-old library

Under rubble and rain, Gaza women try to save rare books in centuries-old library Submitted by Ahmed Dremly on Wed, 05/06/2026 - 14:27 Volunteers work to salvage rare manuscripts from Gaza’s Great Omari Mosque library, left in ruins after Israeli bombardment Raneem Mousa is part of a group of Palestinian women volunteers working to save rare books and manuscripts at the destroyed Great Omari Mosque in Gaza City (Ahmed Dremly/MEE) Off Raneem Mousa lifts a heavy volume from a shattered shelf inside the centuries-old library of Gaza’s Great Omari Mosque. With a small brush, she gently sweeps away layers of dust before passing the book to a colleague, who wipes it clean with a soft cloth. Together, they carry it to what they call the “safest corner” - a small space reserved for the volumes they have managed to salvage.