Archaeological treasures from five major archaeological sites in Gaza were removed from the French Bible and Archaeological School in Jerusalem, the college called “high-risk operations, carried out for everyone in an extremely dangerous environment, and it was a true last-minute rescue.”
like guardianIsrael ordered the school to evacuate its warehouse on the ground floor of the residential building in Gaza before a threatened military strike on Wednesday.
The space is home to artifacts from five major archaeological sites in Gaza, including a fourth-century monastery designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and the exposed mosaics remain even after the damage is caused.
“There are few international actors left on the ground, no infrastructure, no functionality, we have to improvise transport, labor and logistics,” said Olivier Poquillon, director of the French School of Bible and Archaeology in Jerusalem, France. He added that the covert action was “an overwhelming concern as a religious organization that does not endanger human life”.
The demolition amid the ongoing threat of further strikes in Gaza, UNESCO has identified damage to 94 heritage sites investigated through satellite imagery.
In recent operations, René Elter, an archaeologist associated with EBAF, said: “We saved a lot of money, but in the rescue, you always lose things and always face painful choices.”
