Antiquities sites at risk in Gaza

WAR IN THE MIDDLE EAST: The archaeological sites at risk of being wiped out in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict - from the oldest Christian Church in Gaza to an 'unprecedented' Roman necropolis containing at least 130 tombs (Wiliam Hunter, Daily Mail).

Since Hamas launched a series of brutal terror attacks on Israel on October 7, the Palestinian enclave of Gaza has been pounded by nearly continuous airstrikes.

The conflict, which has already claimed the lives of 1,400 Israelis and 3,700 Palestinians, has also destroyed countless homes and displaced 600,000 people.

Alongside the enormous damage to the Palestinian enclave's infrastructure, the bombardment also threatens to wipe out a treasure trove of historical, cultural, and archaeological sites.

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My prayers are with all the civilians caught in this war. The risk to antiquities pales next to the human suffering, but it needs to be tracked too.

For PaleoJudaica post on the Gaza Roman-era cemetery, see here and links. For posts on the Monastery of Saint Hilarion, see here, here, and here. For a post on Tel Rafah, see here.

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