Israel demolishes Gaza’s main public library

Gaza City authorities have condemned what they believe to be an intentional demolition of the city’s main public library by Israeli forces after discovering the structure in ruins while Israel and Hamas were maintaining a ceasefire under a truce extended to another day.

The images, which the Municipality of Gaza released on Monday, depict the remnants of the library, which was regularly used by locals, including students.

In an effort to preserve culturally-significant locations, the local government has called the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) to step in and accuse Israel of purposefully destroying thousands of books and historical documents.