May they never be forgotten: The minister declared the bomb shelters in the Gaza envelope as "antiquities"
Heritage Minister Amichai Eliyahu declared the bomb shelters in the Gaza envelope as having national historical value, using a unique clause in the law. The declaration, three years after the October 7 events, does not expropriate ownership but imposes a strict conservation regime prohibiting physical changes without approval.
Heritage Minister Amichai Eliyahu announced this morning that the bomb shelters scattered throughout the Gaza envelope are of national historical value, a precedent-setting step based on a unique clause in the law. The declaration, three years after the October 7 events, is intended to ensure that the structures that served as centers of fighting, hiding, and heroism will be preserved as memorial sites. The Heritage Ministry clarified that the declaration does not expropriate ownership of the shelters but imposes a strict conservation regime prohibiting any physical change without explicit approval and coordination with the Israel Antiquities Authority and the Heritage Ministry. The directive has been conveyed to all operational and field bodies. Eliyahu was quoted as saying that it is the duty of future generations to ensure that the stories of heroism and loss are told from within the space itself, and not disappear under bureaucratic considerations.