Pillaging of Gaza Antiquities An Archaeological Tragedy - Al-Monitor: The Middle Eastʼs leading independent news source since 2012

Palestinian amateur archaeologist Waleed Al-Aqqad touches a clay jar from his collection of ancient artefacts at his house, which he was turned into a museum, in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip April 3, 2011. Five thousand years of fascinating history lie beneath the sands of the Gaza Strip, from blinded biblical hero Samson to British general Allenby. Picture taken April 3, 2011. To match Feature PALESTINIANS-ARCHAEOLOGY REUTERS/Ibraheem Abu Mustafa (GAZA - Tags: ENTERTAINMENT) - RTR2LFVK

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Palestinian amateur archaeologist Waleed Al-Aqqad touches a clay jar from his collection of ancient artefacts at his house, which he was turned into a museum, in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip April 3, 2011. Five thousand years of fascinating history lie beneath the sands of the Gaza Strip, from blinded biblical hero Samson to British general Allenby. Picture taken April 3, 2011. To match Feature PALESTINIANS-ARCHAEOLOGY REUTERS/Ibraheem Abu Mustafa (GAZA - Tags: ENTERTAINMENT) - RTR2LFVK

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A large mosaic is pictured at the archaeological site of the St. Hilarion Monastery, one of the largest Christian monasteries in the Middle East, in Tell Umm al-Amr close to Deir al-Balah, in the central Gaza Strip, on March 19, 2013. The earliest building dates back to the fourth century and is attributed to St. Hilarion, a native of the Gaza region and the father of Palestinian monasticism. Abandoned after a seventh-century earthquake and uncovered by local archaeologists in 1999, today the settlement asp

New archaeological discovery in St. Hilarion Monastery

Ahmad Abu Amer

Gaza's crumbling history

Moath al-Amoudi

Moath al-Amoudi

Excavations start on Palestine’s oldest monastery

Huda Baroud

A friend of Marwan Shahwan, 55, displays relics from his collection stored in the basement of a relative's house in the southern Gaza Strip city of Khan Younis on March 2, 2014. Shahwan has been collecting artifacts over the past 30 years, which includes more than 10,000 ancient items representing various eras and civilizations. AFP PHOTO/ SAID KHATIB (Photo credit should read SAID KHATIB/AFP/Getty Images)

How one Gazan is preserving Palestinian heritage in his basement

Ahmed el-Komi