Earlier this month, Israeli forces bombed the Said Mish'al Center for
Culture and Science in Gaza to the ground, claiming it was being used by
Hamas for military operations. The center was beloved among Gazans and
was celebrated as a place where people could express their pain, grief,
happiness, and perseverance through song, dance, and theater. Thousands
of Palestinians in Gaza mourned the destruction of the center, which had
survived three Israeli offensives over the past decade. Aside from
being a place where people could go to to escape their hardships for a
moment, the center was also a space where, according to the director,
the people of Gaza resisted the occupation by preserving the Palestinian
culture and passing it on to future generations.