Omar Hamad and Ibrahim Massri, two Palestinian writers, opened the Phoenix Library in the Rimal neighborhood of Gaza City on April 21, 2026. The location was a previously destroyed library that the city lost in the war; with almost every library in Gaza torn down and ruined, Hamad and Massri rescued books from the remaining libraries that Israel forces had damaged. The books were returned to sustainable condition after the two co-founders fixed them up. An entire community made up of volunteers from Eyesonh, an organization focused on restoring Palestinian history, helped with the book repairs.

The books rescued came from a multitude of ruined or damaged libraries, the Al-Aqsa University library included. Israeli soldiers photographed themselves burning that library down alongside its books. AJPLUS said, “UN experts have condemned Israel’s ‘scholasticide’ in Gaza– it has destroyed many of Gaza’s libraries and nearly all of its schools and universities.” Students have had no access to books or any informational written material for years now due to the occupation of Israel. Hamad carried part of this library of rescued books with him for over two years throughout the war, in hopes of creating a space like this one day.

This library, created from within, has given Gaza a new light of hope. There have been no libraries built in over two years, but that gave Hamad and Massri motivation to fight against the control Israel has over Gaza. The creation of this library can not only be described as a step forward, but also a push back against the war from the community.