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<a class="gmail-domain gmail-reader-domain" href="https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20240122-israel-army-displays-artefacts-stolen-from-gaza-in-the-knesset/">middleeastmonitor.com</a>
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<h1 class="gmail-reader-title">Israel: army displays artefacts stolen from Gaza in the Knesset</h1>
<div class="gmail-credits gmail-reader-credits">Middle East Monitor</div>
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<div class="gmail-reader-estimated-time" dir="ltr">January 22, 2024<br></div>
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<p>The Israel Defence Forces has been caught displaying artefacts stolen
from Gaza in the Israeli parliament, known as the Knesset. 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 of the display at
the Knesset, he wrote, “A small showcase was placed in the Knesset.”</p>
<p>Moreover, he published a video, revealing Israeli soldiers raiding a
warehouse filled with antiquities, which he celebrated in his caption
that 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.”</p>
<p>However, the post featuring the Knesset display is no longer on his
profile and 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.”</p>
<p>Gaza, currently under Israeli bombardment, is <a href="https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20140220-archaeological-discovery-in-gaza-dating-back-eight-centuries/">rich in antiquities</a>.
It has been an important trading post for many civilisations, from as
far back as the ancient Egyptians and the Philistines depicted in the
Bible, through to the Roman Empire and the Crusades.</p>
<p>Pro-Palestinian activist Khaled Yousry slammed Askozido, pointing
out: “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.”</p>
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<p>Israel launched a deadly offensive on the Gaza Strip following a
cross-border attack by Hamas on 7 October. The Israeli offensive has
killed at least 25,295 Palestinians and injured 63,000. Nearly 1,200
Israelis are believed to have been killed in the Hamas attack, many of
them, it has been revealed by <a href="https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20231211-another-israel-witness-confirms-israeli-tanks-killed-own-citizens-on-7-october/"><i>Haaretz</i></a>,
were killed by helicopters and tanks of the Israeli army rather than
the Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement, as was originally claimed
by Israel.</p>
<p>The Israeli offensive has left 85 per cent of Gaza’s population
internally displaced amid acute shortages of food, clean water and
medicine, while 60 per cent of the enclave’s infrastructure has been
damaged or destroyed, according to the UN.</p>
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