Gaza Envelope Shelters Declared National Heritage Sites

On the third anniversary of the October 7th massacre, Israel's Minister of Heritage, Amichai Eliyahu, declared the "death shelters" in the Gaza Envelope national heritage sites. These reinforced structures, located along Route 232, became sites of intense struggle and heroism during the Hamas attack, where 90 people were murdered and five were abducted. The decision, based on a unique clause in the Antiquities Law, prohibits the destruction, removal, or repainting of these shelters without professional approval, aiming to preserve them as living testaments to the events.

Eliyahu stated that the shelters are crucial for recounting the stories of heroism and loss from October 7th, preventing bureaucratic desires to "clean up the area" from erasing historical evidence. The declaration does not involve state expropriation but imposes strict preservation regulations, requiring explicit approval for any physical alterations. This move aims to ensure the shelters serve as sites of remembrance for the victims' families and the nation.

Hila, sister of Abir Lotan who was killed in a shelter at the Bari junction, expressed her emotional response to the decision, calling it a recognition of the long struggle to preserve the narrative of the massacre and the heroism displayed. She opposed previous plans by the Eshkol Regional Council to move the shelters to the Nova festival site, emphasizing their importance as unaltered historical evidence in their original locations, drawing a parallel to preserving Auschwitz.

The shelters, nicknamed "death shelters," were where many survivors of the Nova music festival and beachgoers fled on October 7th. Hamas terrorists fired into them, threw grenades, and abducted individuals. The decision to preserve them as heritage sites comes after efforts to prevent local initiatives that could erase the marks of the attack, such as repainting or covering bullet holes.