Rafah Museum

The Rafah Museum (Arabic: متحف رفح) was established in December 2022 in the south of the city of Rafah in the Gaza Strip. It was founded by Laila Shaheen, who holds a doctorate in educational studies from the Arab Research Institute of the League of Arab States in Cairo and a doctorate in arts education technology from Helwan University in Egypt. Openings, exhibitions, and heritage celebrations were held at the museum to commemorate Earth Day and International Women’s Day.

Collections

The museum contained heritage items, mannequins, old court documents, historical documents, traditional clothing, tools, Palestinian embroidery, brass utensils and old agricultural tools.

The museum also exhibited rare gemstones, old passports, postage stamps, illustrated documents about ancient Palestine, Palestinian women's headdresses, baskets, and an ancient sieve.

Destruction

The museum was bombed in 2023 by the Israeli Air Force in response to Operation Al-Aqsa Flood. Shahin said after the bombing:

No tree, no stone, no human being, no animal, no heritage is safe here, the treasures of my life and my toil, the dresses, precious stones, old coins, documents, the treasures of my life are gone. This is our condition, this is the condition of the Palestinian people, God help us[.]