Archaeological finds secretly evacuated from Gaza City storehouse ahead of Israeli strike

12 Sep 2025 • 6:50 PM MYT
The Independent
The Independent

The world’s most free-thinking newspaper

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  • The French Biblical and Archaeological School of Jerusalem secretly evacuated three decades of archaeological finds from its Gaza City storehouse on Thursday.
  • The urgent operation followed a warning from the Israeli military to evacuate the building due to the ongoing conflict.
  • Director Olivier Poquillon described the rescue as a "high-risk operation" carried out without international assistance or existing infrastructure.
  • The evacuated artefacts include items from Gaza's five primary archaeological sites, such as the fourth-century Saint Hilarion monastery, though some unique mosaics were left behind.
  • The school highlighted the increasing urgency to save Gaza's ancient heritage, with Unesco identifying damage to at least 94 heritage sites amidst the Israeli military's actions.

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