The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has included the Saint Hilarion Monastery in the Gaza Strip on its list of world heritage sites in danger, amid the military offensive launched by Israel that has left at least 39,258 dead in the region, mostly women, the elderly and children, according to figures from the territory’s Ministry of Health.
In addition, UNESCO has identified San Hilarion as one of the few places that, due to its architectural elements, possesses an exceptional historical, religious and cultural testimony and adds that the place It was once an important way station between Egypt, Palestine, Syria and Mesopotamia.
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The monastery is located in the archaeological site of Tell Um Amer, near the city of Deir al-Bala, in central Gaza. The building was founded in 340 by Hilarion, a native of the Gaza region who became a hermit after converting to Christianity in Alexandria.
In the report Destruction of Cultural Heritage in Gaza Published by the Institute for Palestine Studies, author Hamdan Taha places the destruction of the monastery of Saint Hilarion in a historical context of the destruction of the cultural heritage of the strip by Israel for more than 75 years.
Archaeological sites, historical and religious buildings, museums and more have been affected by the Israeli attacks, adding to the destruction of 600 towns and villages in the Strip, in addition to the genocidal cleansing of one million Palestinians who were expelled from their homes and property
the author points out.
With information from Europa Press