A photo of Arafat inside the destroyed house (Palestinian Ministry of Culture via Facebook)
The Palestinian Ministry of Culture said that the Israeli occupation destroyed the house of the late Palestinian President Yasser Arafat in the Gaza Strip, expressing its denunciation of the Israeli attacks on the cultural and historical heritage of the Palestinian people.
The Ministry published - on its Facebook page - pictures showing the extent of the destruction of the house located in the heart of Gaza City, where Arafat lived between 1995 and 2001.
Palestinian Minister of Culture Atef Abu Saif said - in a press statement - that "the occupation's targeting of the house of the martyr and founding leader Yasser Arafat in Gaza and its destruction is a continuation of its war that destroys everything that means to our people in terms of dignity and symbolism for their struggle and struggle."
Arafat's house in the heart of Gaza City after its destruction (Palestinian Ministry of Culture via Facebook)
Abu Saif explained that Arafat's house "contains the personal and family belongings of the immortal leader, and its corners witnessed many decisive moments in the history of our people during Abu Ammar's presence in Gaza at the beginning of the establishment of the authority."
He continued, "The house also includes some exhibits that display different stages of Abu Ammar's life, and details of his struggle and struggle for the freedom of his people, in addition to some other works of art."
The minister added, "The house - with its status and place - will remain a witness to important points in our history, and the crimes of the occupation and its demolition will remain further evidence of the barbarism and brutality of this occupier."
Arafat lived in the house between 1995 and 2001 (Palestinian Ministry of Culture via Facebook)
He said, "The occupation's assault during the ongoing war on Gaza on the Palestinian cultural heritage and inheritance, including historical buildings, mosques, churches, cultural centers, heritage sites, museums, libraries, publishing houses, and universities, comes within the same destructive pattern of values represented by the occupation and its policies."
For more than 4 months, Israel has been waging a devastating war on Gaza that has left tens of thousands of martyrs and wounded, most of them children and women, in addition to an unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe.
Source: Al Jazeera + Reuters