Displaced families seek shelter in Yasser Arafat’s damaged museum home in Gaza

In a scene that reflects the scale of destruction in Gaza, displaced families have sought refuge in the museum home of the late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, which was partially destroyed by Israeli air strikes.

Footage by Agence France-Presse (AFP) showed the building, which was turned into a museum after Arafat’s death in 2004, still standing among the ruins with murals honouring his memory. On its metal gate hangs a picture of Arafat wearing his traditional keffiyeh and sunglasses, with current Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in the background.

The building, located in the al-Rimal neighbourhood near Gaza’s port, sustained damage during the ongoing Israeli bombardment that began in October 2023. University lecturer Ashraf Nafez Abu Salem, who was displaced by the fighting, decided to clean the debris-filled house and live there temporarily with his family.

Abu Salem explained that he made this choice after returning to his neighbourhood and finding his own home beyond repair. “It is impossible to rebuild because the infrastructure is destroyed and diseases are spreading,” he said, adding that they chose to stay in Arafat’s house “temporarily until we can find somewhere to rent.”

The displaced Palestinian man was seen leafing through an old yellowed book featuring Arafat’s image. Beside it is a framed photo of Arafat with Morocco’s young King Mohammed VI during a Ramadan iftar.

“We are from the generation of the first Intifada in 1987 — a generation raised on resistance with stones,” Abu Salem said. “For us, President Abu Ammar [Arafat] remains a symbol and an example of the Palestinian national struggle.”

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