This article is more than 2 years old

This article is more than 2 years old

Leading playwrights and directors in Britain have severely criticised the bombing of a major cultural centre in the Gaza Strip by Israel’s air force, calling it a “devastating loss for the already isolated community”.

In a letter to the Guardian, 14 figures from UK theatre, including the director of the National Theatre, Rufus Norris, and dramatist Caryl Churchill, condemned the “total destruction” of the Said al-Mishal Culture Centre.

We condemn the destruction of Gaza cultural centre in Israeli airstrike | Letter Read more

“We support our dear friends and colleagues who describe ‘their great rage and deep pain’ at the obliteration of this symbol of Palestinian culture and identity as they mourn the destruction of one of the few large venues for theatre and music performances in besieged Gaza,” the group said.



“Since its establishment in 2004, Al-Mishal served as a home for hundreds of plays, ceremonies, exhibits, musical performances and national ceremonies. It was the venue of choice for theatre companies in Gaza and a space for Gaza’s top musical acts.”

Most recently, the centre hosted a joint performance with artists in the UK. At Home in Gaza and London, which ran in June and July, attempted to connect people living under severe blockade with British audiences.

At Home in Gaza and London: one show on two stages – 2,000 miles apart Read more

The multi-storey building was flattened on Thursday last week during a peak in violence, as Israel launched more than 150 airstrikes in Gaza and Palestinian militants fired more than 180 rockets and mortars into southern Israel.

Three Palestinians were killed that day, including a pregnant woman, a toddler and a fighter from the armed wing of Hamas, the group that runs the enclave. Several Israelis were wounded.

In an apparent reference to the cultural centre bombing, the Israeli army said at the time that its jets had targeted a five-storey structure which it said was “used by the Hamas terror organisation’s interior security forces for military purposes”.

It shared a photo of the building and a video of the airstrike, showing an overhead view of the explosion. “The strike is an example of the (Israeli Defense Force’s) intelligence and operational capabilities, which will intensify as necessary,” it added.



The centre was seen as a cultural landmark in Gaza, holding a theatre, a library and offices for artistic associations. It was also used as a recreation centre for children affected by the three wars waged between Israel and Hamas during the past decade. Artists working at the centre strongly denied Israeli claims of any Hamas military use.

The British letter’s signatories also included Vicky Featherstone, artistic director of the Royal Court theatre, as well as Phyllida Lloyd, who directed the films Mamma Mia! and The Iron Lady. In 2009, shortly after the first Gaza war, Churchill wrote a 10-minute play on attitudes to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.



“It is a devastating loss for the already isolated community,” the group said in the letter. “We are deeply shocked that this act of destruction has not been widely reported in the British press. We support all efforts to continue Al-Mishal’s mission and the campaign for the centre’s reconstruction.”