Over 300 Gaza Heritage Sites Destroyed by Israeli Airstrikes... "Napoleon Fortress" Also Damaged

"About 20,000 Artifacts Missing... Claims of Systematic Looting"

On November 18 (local time), Turkish state-run Anadolu Agency reported that many historical sites in the Gaza Strip have been destroyed during more than two years of ongoing war.

According to the Gaza Strip Media Office, which is governed by the Palestinian armed group Hamas, more than 316 archaeological sites and buildings, including the Kasr al-Basha Palace, have been destroyed by Israeli airstrikes.

The destroyed Kasr al-Basha Palace in Gaza Strip. Photo by Anadolu Agency and Yonhap News Agency

The Kasr al-Basha Palace was originally built in the 13th century, about 800 years ago, by the Mamluk dynasty, which ruled from Egypt to Syria. Later, the Ottoman Empire, which came to dominate the Middle East, expanded and renovated the palace for its own use.

It is also known as the "Napoleon Fortress" because Napoleon Bonaparte, who ruled France in 1799, is said to have stayed there for several days during his Egyptian and Palestinian campaign. Afterward, the building was used as a police station and a girls' school, and was operated as a museum until just before the war.

Hamouda Al-Daddar of the Palestinian Center for Cultural Heritage Preservation (CCHP) said, "About 70% of the Kasr al-Basha Palace has been damaged due to Israeli attacks." Ismail Al-Tawwabta, Director of the Gaza Strip Media Office, stated that about 20,000 artifacts housed in the museum have disappeared during the war, claiming that "systematic looting has taken place."

Anadolu reported that the Gaza Strip authorities have deployed experts to search for artifacts under the rubble and have begun restoration work on the building.