Gaza's Historic Treasures Saved By 'irony Of History'

Jerusalem, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 17th Apr, 2024) Gaza's ancient Greek site of Anthedon has been bombed, its "Napoleon's Palace" destroyed and the only private museum burned down: the war has taken a terrible toll on the rich heritage of the Palestinian territory.

But in a strange twist of fate, some of its greatest historical treasures are safe in a warehouse in Switzerland.

And ironically, it is all thanks to the blockade that made life in the Gaza Strip such a struggle for the past 16 years.

Based on satellite images, the UN cultural organisation reckons some 41 historic sites have been damaged since Israel began pounding the besieged territory after the October 7 Hamas attack.

On the ground, Palestinian archaeologist Fadel al-Otol keeps tabs on the destruction in real time.

When he has electricity and internet access, photos pour into a WhatsApp group he set up with 40 or so young peers he mobilised to watch over the territory's vast array of ancient sites and monuments.

As a teenager in the 1990s, Otol was hired by European archaeological missions before going on to study in Switzerland and at the Louvre Museum in Paris.

"All the archaeological remains in the north have been hit," he told AFP by phone from Gaza.

The human toll since the October 7 Hamas attack has been chilling.

A total of 1,170 people were killed in the unprecedented raid on Israel, according to an AFP tally of Israeli official figures.

Almost 34,000 have died in Gaza in unrelenting Israeli retaliation, according to the territory's health ministry.

The damage to Gaza's history has also been immense.