France reopens cultural institute in Gaza after closure

The French Cultural Institute in Gaza city reopened after it had been closed for a year and a half following tow bombing attacks that targeted the institute, an official statement said Friday.

"After a closed period of one year and a half, the reopening of the French Institute in Gaza has been decided," said an official statement of the institute, published in three languages of French, Arabic and English emailed to reporters.

The statement stressed that the institute "is the only foreign cultural institution present in Gaza," adding that "Its activities will progressively start again to guarantee the Gaza population the access to French language and culture."

In October 2014, unknown militants detonated a bomb at the gate of the French Cultural Institute in Remal neighborhood in western Gaza city, no injuries were reported, however, slight damages were caused to the gate.

Two months later, another bomb was detonated near the electric generator into the institute's garden. No injuries were reported, where flames of fire caused moderate damages to the institutes building.

Radical Salafist group, affiliated with the Islamic State (ISIS) claimed responsibility for the two bombing attacks and said it was a response to publishing caricatures that mocked profit Mohamed of Islam.

Graffiti were also painted on the wall fence of the institute condemning the caricatures that mocked the profit of Islam by a Jewish newspaper that published in Paris.

Following the bombing attacks and painting the Graffiti on the wall fence of the institute, the employees decided to close the institute, which provided French language lessons and scholarships to Palestinian students. Endit