Opened in 1991, Gaza City’s principal center for culture and the arts is housed in a specially-designed building and comprises a multi-purpose 800-seat auditorium/flat-floor hall with adjacent conference and exhibition spaces, a reference library, a café, and office accommodation.

The Rashad Al Shawwa Cultural Center was established by the Benevolent Society of the Gaza Strip with the following objectives: to improve cultural activities in the Gaza Strip, providing a center where Palestinians can rebuild their community life and enhance their status as people rich in culture, history, and tradition; to encourage co-ordination between the Palestinian people and the international community and to co-operate with similar centers overseas; to offer the resource of a well-organized modern library; to provide the women of the Gaza Strip with the opportunity to organize and develop themselves and to participate in activities that will enhance their status in the region; to offer training courses, workshops, and debates; and to produce information and fact-sheets containing information on the Gaza Strip for use by local and international groups and individuals.