Despite losing his home, bookstore, and son to the ongoing conflict, Gaza bookseller Mohammed Saad has returned repeatedly to the ruins of Beit Lahia to rescue his treasured collection. The 58-year-old, who spent 35 years building his library, now sells the salvaged volumes from a modest roadside tent in Deir el-Balah.

“I found the house and the libraries destroyed, and the bombing was still ongoing. I tried to remove the rubble to retrieve the books,” Saad recalled, describing how he ignored nearby gunfire to save what he could. His former business near the Islamic University and in Gaza City’s Firas market was completely destroyed.

Today, Saad operates a simple tent bookstore, though the rescued books remain exposed to heat and dust due to lack of proper storage. He has urged Gaza residents not to burn unwanted books, offering to buy them instead. “Books have value, and books are life for a person,” he said, emphasizing that his small enterprise represents more than commerce—it is a defiant act of preserving culture, memory, and hope amid devastation.

As long as people like him exists, there is hope !