Destruction in Gaza
New Gaza center launches to preserve war survivors’ stories
Note: AI technology was used to generate this article’s audio.
- Gaza Genocide Center is building a long-term archive documenting the war in Gaza.
- The first recorded testimony is from Somaia El-Swerki, who says she survived 21 days under rubble.
- Historian Jehad Abusalim is the center’s executive director.
The newly launched Gaza Genocide Center is building what it describes as a permanent, evidence-based record of the war in Gaza, beginning with recorded testimonies from survivors.
The center's first testimony, recorded in Gaza, is from Somaia El-Swerki, who was 19 when an ‘Israeli’ airstrike destroyed her family's home in Gaza City on Dec. 2, 2023, according to her testimony.
El-Swerki said she remained trapped beneath the rubble for 21 days. Her mother died beside her on the seventh day, according to the account.
Her testimony is the first in a planned series documenting the experiences of survivors of the war, with the center seeking to preserve individual accounts alongside other evidence and records.
The Gaza Genocide Center says its broader work will include a structured record of documented incidents and evidence, a memorial archive preserving the lives and legacies of those killed, and educational resources providing historical and political context.
The center is led by historian Jehad Abusalim, originally from Deir el-Balah in the Gaza Strip.
Abusalim is a PhD candidate in History and Hebrew and Judaic Studies at New York University and has described the project as an effort to preserve a permanent historical record of events in Gaza.
The center's website says its full public platform is being developed, while its GazaIndex has already begun compiling figures on casualties, destruction, displacement, prices and aid, with each entry linked to its original source.
Our first testimony from Gaza. Somaia El-Swerki was 19 when an Israeli airstrike destroyed her family's home in Gaza City. For three weeks she lay trapped beneath the rubble. Her mother died beside her on the seventh day. She survived. This is her account, in her own words. https://t.co/kDMimIcnJA
— Gaza Genocide Center (@GazaGenocideCtr) October 7, 2026
