After a War
Mar 17 2025 The Guardian
Two pieces in The Guardian today, one on Syria and landmines, and the other on Gaza’s heritage sites.
Landmines in Syria kill hundreds of civilians returning home after fall of Assad
‘I will spend my life rebuilding’: Gaza’s heritage sites destroyed by war
The sad truth is, absolutely nothing in society escapes the destruction of war, neither people nor culture.
The war in Gaza has cost at least 48.000 lives already, and there will be more, healthcare is not functioning, about 90% of homes have been destroyed, and unexploded ordnance litters the ruins.
Apart from the human cost, there is the destruction of culture and history of Gaza. The 800-year old Pasha Palace, with its museum, and the 700-year-old bath house Hamam al-Samara, are both in ruins. And the Al-Omari mosque, which by the way was originally a byzantine church, is damaged as well. It will take a lot of effort, time and money to rebuild them.
“A recent report by Palestinian conservation experts in the occupied West Bank and UK-based archaeologists estimated that just protecting historical sites from further damage in Gaza – if the current ceasefire holds – will cost about $33m and take up to 18 months. Full reconstruction could cost almost 10 times more and take up to eight years.”
If there is any good news here it is that the will to rebuild is there:
“It [Al-Omari] will definitely be restored. In fact, we are already working on that. There is a team collecting the broken stones of the mosque to restore it as soon as possible. True, the old mosque held irreplaceable history within its walls, but we will rebuild it.”
“If no one else takes on the task, I will spend the rest of my life rebuilding [the Hamam al-Samara] myself,” - says its guardian Salim al-Wazir, 74.
In Syria, since the war ended about three months ago, more than 200 people have been killed by explosive remnants of war, mines, unexploded shells, cluster munitions and other ordnance left from the war.
The Syrian war lasted 14 years, and there are thousands of landmines and unexploded munitions scattered across the country. The problem is acute, as 1.2 million refugees and IDPs return to their homes and farms to rebuild their lives. A quote from the piece says it all: “We cannot say that any area in Syria is safe from war remnants”
Removing the mines and other explosives, and making the country safe will take decades, and cost millions. And there will be more casualties, and not just civilians, volunteers clearing the mines are dying as well. After the death of one volunteer, his brother said:
“He sacrificed himself so that others could live” “The country has been liberated, and we, the engineering specialists, must stand by these people and remove the mines to help them return to their homes.”
