Lighthouses of Gaza, Palestine

This page for Gaza describes the lighthouses as they existed before the start of the current conflict between Israel and the Hamas government. No changes will be made until there is a stable agreement that stops the fighting and damage can be assessed.

Located in the southeastern corner of the Mediterranean Sea between Israel and Egypt, Gaza is an ancient city with an unfortunate recent history of war and occupation by Britain (1917-1948), Egypt (1948-1967), and Israel (1967-2005). Since 2007 Gaza has been governed by the Hamas movement and has the status, de facto, of an autonomous but besieged city-state. The city has no natural harbor and no commercial harbor but it has a small fishing harbor enclosed by breakwaters. There are no internationally-recognized aids to navigation.

General Sources
World of Lighthouses - Palestinian Authority
Photos by various photographers available from Lightphotos.net.
Lighthouses
* Gaza
2016. Active; focal plane about 16 m (52 ft); continuous white light (?). 14 m (45 ft) round tower with lantern; the tower is covered with multi-colored zinc and tin plates. Dr. Basem Naim's photo is at right, a commercial photo and a 2023 street view are available, there's a photo of the light in action, and Google has a distant satellite view. This lighthouse was designed by the artist Sharif Sarhan and built using materials recycled from buildings destroyed in the fighting with Isreali forces in 2014. The construction was funded by the A.M. Qattan Foundation and the Danish Center for Culture and Development. Located at the base of the north (main) breakwater of Gaza's harbor. Site open, tower closed.
#[Gaza North Breakwater]
Date unknown. Demolished (we don't know if this beacon was ever lit.) Approx. 15 m (49 ft) round conical tower on a round cylindrical base, topped by a tall mast. Lightphotos.net has a December 2013 photo by Mahmud Hams. However, the light is not seen in a December 2015 street view by Hussam El-Madhoun or in Google's indistinct satellite view. Formerly located on the north breakwater of Gaza's harbor. Site open.


Gaza Light, Gaza, June 2016
ex-Twitter photo copyright Dr. Basem Naim; permission requested

Information available on lost lighthouses:

Notable faux lighthouses:

Adjoining pages: North: Israel | South: Mediterranean Egypt

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Posted June 20, 2016. Lighthouses: 2. Checked and revised May 3, 2023. Site copyright 2023 Russ Rowlett and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.