As Israeli bombs toppled high-rise buildings in Gaza City, a desperate call came through to Gaza's top archaeologist, Fadel al-Otol. The Israeli military warned it was about to attack a tower storing thousands of ancient artefacts. Speaking from Switzerland, where he now lives, al-Otol said he had barely slept for two days, feeling as if a missile could strike his heart at any moment.
After international experts pressed Israel for an extra day, al-Otol remotely guided Palestinian volunteers and aid workers to evacuate six lorryloads of artefacts, including fragile ceramics, mosaics and centuries-old skeletons. They moved them across the bombed-out city to a safer location. Al-Otol estimates 70% of the ground-floor storeroom's contents were saved, but all items left behind were crushed when rockets destroyed the 13-storey al-Kawthar building on Sunday.
The Israel Defense Forces said it was targeting 'Hamas terrorist infrastructure.' Al-Otol expressed heartbreak, saying he never imagined archaeological sites and museums would be destroyed. Gaza's heritage spans over 5,000 years, with civilisations including Canaanites, Egyptians, Greeks, Romans and Ottomans leaving their mark, seen by many Palestinians as central to their identity.
Al-Otol, who grew up in Shati refugee camp, was fascinated by ancient finds washing up on the coast. He trained in France and led important digs, including at St Hilarion monastery, a Unesco World Heritage site. He safeguarded a store of major finds from nearly three decades of excavations, including discoveries at the Church of Al-Bureij and the largest Roman cemetery in Gaza, Ard al-Moharbeen.
