By Contributors
Copyright timesofmalta
The most important archaeological storage facility in Gaza has been destroyed but, thankfully, only after a significant percentage of the artefacts had been removed at the very last minute. The warehouse contained thousands of artefacts from all over the country, meaning an extremely important part of heritage about the history of mankind has been lost forever. The facility had been under the care of the EBAF, the French Biblical and Archaeological School of Jerusalem, for more than 20 years. EBAF is run by the Dominican fathers in a very big compound in the heart of Jerusalem. As orders were given by Israeli forces to evacuate this part of Gaza City last week, efforts were put together to try and save as much as possible of this incredible depot. ‘A desperate attempt’ Through the help of the Swiss government and the Swiss Embassy, Israel allowed a window of a few hours to move artefacts out of the way, with the support of the Geneva Museum of Art and History. It is hoped that around 70% of the artefacts have been moved, although this figure could not be confirmed immediately. The storage facility formed part of a high-rise building that was completely destroyed soon after this desperate attempt to move as many artefacts as possible − an operation not done in an ideal way. Normal trucks, that is, the very few allowed into the area, were used and only half a day was allowed to move the artefacts. I visited the site three times in 2022 and 2023 as part of a conservation project financed by the Aliph Foundation and the French and British governments. A lot of work had already been done to protect this extensive site, which included five chapels, including one where St Hilarion is buried, and the baths and ancillary facilities. The project was supposed to be continued with funding from the French government. UNESCO monitors the site and no damage has been reported yet. Over 100 major heritage sites before October 7, 2023 Gaza was the second most important port in antiquity for Palestine. Before October 7, 2023, the territory had over 100 major heritage sites. The artefacts at the storage facility included an enormous quantity of amphorae but also extremely important mosaics and various other artefacts that were all being studied and documented by French archaeologists and Palestinian colleagues. The destruction of this storage facility marks another big blow to Gaza’s heritage. A number of Christian sites or sites of Christian origin have also been destroyed. This is a tremendous loss and should have been avoided under the Geneva Convention. Ray Bondin is a world heritage expert.
