SAFA — Translator and printer Jamil Miqdad carefully applies glue to the torn edges of a damaged Qur'an at a small wooden workbench. Its cover is scorched, and its pages bear the scars of shrapnel.

"When I hold a Qur'an, I feel as though I am holding a soul," he tells Safa News Agency, his voice heavy with emotion. "It feels as though I am rebuilding my own life from almost nothing."

Israel's war on Gaza has left widespread destruction, devastating not only homes and infrastructure but also religious and cultural institutions. Printing presses, mosques, and public libraries have been destroyed, while thousands of Qur'ans have been buried beneath the rubble or consumed by fire.

The shortage has been compounded by restrictions on the entry of Qur'ans, paper, and printing supplies into Gaza. Yet demand for the holy book remains high, as adults and children continue gathering in tents and shelters to read and memorise the Qur'an, seeking comfort amid displacement and ongoing bombardment.

A Trade Reshaped by War

Miqdad began repairing and rebinding Qur'ans after Israeli bombardment destroyed much of his printing business.

After two months of displacement, he returned to find his bookstore and printing press in Al-Shati refugee camp reduced to ruins.

Touching the charred remains of damaged pages, he recalls:

"We used to repair worn and damaged Qur'ans. After two months of displacement, we came back and found our bookstore and printing press burned. Most of the papers, books, and Qur'ans inside had been destroyed by fire."

Miqdad estimates the losses at his printing press exceeded $200,000.

"There were hundreds of Qur'ans, books, and notebooks inside," he says. "More than 70 percent of our stock, including the Qur'ans, was completely burned. Almost nothing was left."

A Lifeline for Gaza

Before the destruction, Miqdad's printing press supplied Qur'ans and books to individuals, schools, and religious institutions across Gaza.

"Many people and organisations depended on me to provide Qur'ans and books," he says. "We distributed them to Qur'an centres, students who had memorised the Qur'an, and families during Ramadan and funerals. Many people also donated copies in memory of their martyrs and deceased relatives."

"The fire destroyed more than a printing press," he adds. "It destroyed a lifeline that served Qur'an centres and religious institutions throughout Gaza."

Despite losing his business, Miqdad resumed his work in response to the growing shortage.

"No new Qur'ans are entering Gaza to replace the damaged ones," he says. "So we decided to restore whatever we could, allowing people to continue reading and memorising from them, God willing."

Working with only basic hand tools and increasingly scarce materials, Miqdad painstakingly repairs each damaged copy.

"As Muslims, our faith teaches us that we carry a responsibility and a message. That is why I restore these Qur'ans. If a page is missing or torn, we find another copy of the same edition, reproduce the missing section, trim it to the exact size, and insert it. Then the Qur'an can be used again."

The work is slow and increasingly difficult.

"We rely on cardboard and cloth, and even those materials are becoming scarce," he says. "Glue is almost impossible to find. Everything we do is by hand because we have no machines."

For Miqdad, the initiative is about more than repairing damaged books—it is about preserving faith and ensuring families can continue reading the Qur'an despite the shortages.

"People are genuinely happy when they receive their Qur'an beautifully restored," he says. "And they never have to pay anything."

As Qur'ans remain in short supply because of restrictions on their entry into Gaza, Miqdad continues cleaning, restoring, and rebinding damaged copies for local families.

"God willing, safety and security will return to our homeland," he says. "Then we will rebuild what has been destroyed—our homes, our mosques, and our lives."