The Israeli blitzkrieg against the Palestinians in Gaza has exceeded 125 days. During this period more than 100 Gaza heritage sites have been damaged or destroyed by Israeli shelling and bombardment.

The war in Palestine, which was seen once as a human tragedy, has also exposed another side of the Zionist program, that of a ‘cultural genocide’ – the continuous shelling and firing has destroyed more than 100 Gaza heritages belonging to both the Muslims and Christians, in the Gaza City and West Bank and around Palestine.

This could be described as only an attempt to get rid of the civilisational treasures of the Palestinian land, so that no one could lay claim to it in the future and the Zionist lobby could proclaim it as the Promised Land to its followers and sympathisers.

Besides killing more than 15,000 Palestinians and destroying thousands of homes in the territory, according to Gaza’s health ministry, there have also been tremendous losses to the region’s ancient and globally significant cultural heritage. The region was a hub for commerce and culture under Egyptian, Greek, Roman and Byzantine rule. It remained influential for centuries thereafter.

Gaza is home to some of the oldest churches and mosques in the world, but many have not escaped the widespread destruction of Israel’s military offensive. Of 117 religious sites, which were reportedly damaged or destroyed by 31 December, the BBC has verified 74 cases. Seventy-two are mosques and two are churches.

In his report for Al Jazeera, IndliebFaraziSaber reported that an ancient harbour dating back to 800 BC, a mosque that was home to rare manuscripts and one of the world’s oldest Christian monasteries are just a few of at least 195 heritage sites that have been........

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