The Israeli military has reportedly stolen artifacts from the Gaza Strip and displayed them in the Israeli parliament, known as the Knesset.
According to media reports, the Director of the Israel Antiquities Authority, Eli Askozido, shared images on his official Instagram account, stating that Israeli soldiers contacted the authority to examine a warehouse in Gaza.
In a post accompanying a photo of looted items, he wrote, “A small showcase was placed in the Knesset.”
He also reportedly published a video, revealing Israeli soldiers raiding a warehouse filled with antiquities.
The caption stated: “Good week, the deputy director of the Antiquities Authority was rushed to Gaza to check a warehouse full of antiques. Thank you to warrior Moshe Agami,” the Middle East Monitor (MEMO) reported.
However, the post featuring the Knesset display is no longer on his profile, reported MEMO.
Israel stole ARCHAEOLOGICAL ARTIFACTS from Gaza 💔
They literally stoling everything they can pic.twitter.com/iU2w6jYce1— Palestine Updates (@drtruthe) January 21, 2024
Instagram Post Deleted
He has since posted the following statement: “The IDF called upon the Israel Antiquities to inspect a warehouse in Gaza housing ancient items or those appearing to be ancient. An initial examination was conducted by an archaeologist, and a comprehensive written report will be submitted to the IDF later. The items were left undisturbed at the site.”
The post was criticized by pro-Palestine activist, Khaled Yousry, who said: “The theft of antiquities is considered a war crime according to international law.”
“The illicit trade of cultural properties, including antiquities, is a crime under the 1970 UNESCO Convention on the Measures to be Taken to Prevent the Import, Export, and Transfer of Ownership of Cultural Property,” Yousry continued.
He proceeded to share a picture of samples of stolen archaeological artifacts from Gaza displayed inside the Knesset building. pic.twitter.com/ygjnv3LJWD
— Quds News Network (@QudsNen) January 21, 2024
Dozens of Testimonies of Theft
Earlier this month, Gaza’s Government Media Office said “the Israeli army has looted money and gold artifacts from the Gaza Strip amounting to approximately $25 million, since the beginning of the aggression.
The office said in a statement that it had received “dozens of testimonies provided by residents of the Gaza Strip regarding the theft of money, gold, and artifacts estimated at 90 million shekels ($24.5 million) over the past 92 days by the Israeli occupation army.”
The Israeli army has also destroyed more than 200 archeological and ancient sites out of 325 that were registered in the ongoing aggression on the Gaza Strip, according to the Anadolu news agency, quoting the Gaza Government Media Office.
The Great Omari Mosque, the Byzantine church in Jabaliya, the Shrine of Al-Khadir in Deir al-Balah city in central Gaza Strip, and the Blakhiya Byzantine cemetery (The Anthedon of Palestine), northwestern Gaza City were among the sites.
Hundreds of Historical Archaeological Sites Destroyed in Gaza – Israeli NGO
An Israeli NGO, Emek Shaveh, has said that hundreds of ancient sites, historic monuments, museums and archives have been damaged or destroyed since the start of Israel’s onslaught on the Gaza Strip.
“We have been monitoring the situation as best as possible from the beginning of the war,” the organization said in a statement.
According to Gaza’s Ministry of Health, 25,700 Palestinians have been killed, and 63,730 wounded in Israel’s ongoing genocide in Gaza starting on October 7.
Palestinian and international estimates say that the majority of those killed and wounded are women and children.
(PC, MEMO)
