Watan-One of Gaza’s Key Archaeological Sites Destroyed in the Ongoing Israeli Aggression, Forensic Architecture Report Reveals”
A new report from Forensic Architecture highlights significant destruction to one of Gaza’s crucial archaeological sites due to the relentless Israeli war since October 7th. The investigative organization utilized open-source images and satellite photos to demonstrate that the site near the Beach Refugee Camp was subjected to airstrikes and subsequently bulldozed, seemingly transformed into a camp for the occupying forces.
The Israeli Infrastructure Expansion: Forensic Architecture Reveals Purposeful Destruction of Archaeological Site”.
One of Gaza’s most important archaeological sites—threatened previously by Israeli bombings/siege—has been mostly destroyed in the Israeli invasion. The site, near al-Shati refugee camp, consists of several excavations which suggest extensive remains throughout the area: https://t.co/rdHyiK81Oj pic.twitter.com/vDLl2e4XOS
— Forensic Architecture (@ForensicArchi) December 20, 2023
The images also unveil the Israeli infrastructure development for water pumps inside and around the site, purportedly for the purpose of flooding tunnels that Israel claims Hamas utilizes beneath Gaza.
Forensic Architecture stated that the site had been excavated between 1995 and 2005, revealing elements such as an Iron Age wall beneath Achaemenid-era houses, structures from the Roman and Hellenistic eras, including a commercial center, a paved fountain on the coast, and a Byzantine cemetery to the north.
The destruction of the site, according to the report, was a “deliberate attempt to deprive essential resources for the survival of the Palestinian people in Gaza, serving the Israeli colonial project, and reinforcing the apartheid system by erasing Palestinian identity.”
Targeting Not Without Significance: Cultural Heritage Destruction in Gaza War
The report emphasized that targeting cultural heritage is not an empty gesture, highlighting that culture serves as a clear expression of human identity. It elaborated that depriving a people of their culture is tantamount to stripping them of the essence of their identity, a backbone for their right to determine their destiny, particularly in the context of cumulative, interconnected, and systematic human rights violations.
Over 19,700 Palestinians, mostly women and children, have been cited as casualties since the start of the war on October 7th. Approximately 1.9 million people, or around 85% of Gaza’s population, have been displaced from their homes.
Earlier this month, the Islamic Resistance Movement, Hamas, called on UNESCO to intervene and help protect historical buildings in the region. The warning emphasized that Israeli airstrikes have destroyed churches, mosques, bathhouses, and other significant historical structures.
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