The Israeli army has confirmed that it destroyed a 14th-century hammam in the Gaza Strip during an operation against Hamas.
Hamam al-Sammara in the Zaytoun neighborhood in the south of Gaza City was the only publicly accessible, functional facility in the Palestinian territory.
The spa’s administrator, Salim Vazir, told CNN that the spa was destroyed in an Israeli airstrike on December 15.
“The terrorist group Hamas had a base in the mentioned building, which included a network of tunnels used by the terrorists,” the Israeli army announced. She added that “the swimming pool was hit by precision ammunition, with minimal damage to human lives.”
In the last quarter of a century, the spas have been renovated every year during Ramadan. He told the administrators of the hammam that he hoped to restore them one day. The baths were a unique example of Ottoman architecture in the Gaza Strip and contained several rooms, each with a different temperature.
Photo ©️ EPA-EFE
