Israel says it facilitated moving Christian archaeological artifacts to safe Gaza location

A trove of archaeological artifacts belonging to the Christian community in Gaza has been transferred to a secure location in the Strip, says Israel’s Coordinator of Government Activities (COGAT) in the Territories.

The artifacts include rare mosaics and pottery.

Last week, Olivier Poquillon, director of the French Biblical and Archaeological School of Jerusalem (EBAF), told AFP that Israeli authorities ordered EBAF — one of the oldest academic institutions in the region — to evacuate its archaeological storehouse located on the ground floor of a residential tower in Gaza City that was due to be targeted.

The Israeli army did not confirm the warning when asked by AFP, but several sources said France, UNESCO and the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem played a key role in securing a brief reprieve that allowed most of the artifacts to be removed.

While COGAT’s statement does not specify which warehouse has been evacuated, it says the operation was carried out in coordination with its Coordination and Liaison Administration (CLA) for Gaza, in cooperation with an unnamed international organization. The transfer is described as “part of the efforts to allow the movement of residents and international organizations to the southern Gaza Strip for their protection.”

According to the statement, the content of multiple warehouses belonging to international organizations is in the process of being relocated to the south of the Strip, where Israel has been setting up areas that it describes as safe.

EBAF’s storage contained around 180 cubic meters of finds from Gaza’s five main archaeological sites, including the fourth-century Saint Hilarion Monastery, listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site.