As Israel’s war rages on, few historic treasures of Gaza saved by the ‘irony of history’

In a strange twist of fate, some of Gaza's greatest historical treasures are safe in a warehouse in Switzerland. And ironically, it is all thanks to the blockade that made life in the Gaza Strip such a struggle for the past 16 years.

With Gaza’s ancient Greek site of Anthedon being bombed, its “Napoleon’s Palace” destroyed and the only private museum burned down, the war has taken a terrible toll on the rich heritage of the Palestinian territory.

But in a strange twist of fate, some of its greatest historical treasures are safe in a warehouse in Switzerland. And ironically, it is all thanks to the blockade that made life in the Gaza Strip such a struggle for the past 16 years.

Also read | The Gaza war needs a smart exit strategy

The UN cultural organisation reckons, based on satellite images, that around 41 historic sites have been damaged since Israel began pounding the besieged territory after the October 7 Hamas attack.

On the ground, Palestinian archaeologist Fadel al-Otol keeps tabs on the destruction in real time.

As a teenager in the 1990s, Mr. Otol was hired by European archaeological missions before going on to study in Switzerland and at the Louvre Museum in Paris.

“All the archaeological remains in the north have been hit,” he said by phone from Gaza.