Palestinian officials said Israeli forces stole over 17,000 archaeological artefacts from the Al-Basha Palace Museum in Gaza City, reported Roya News. The Mamluk-era museum was bombed and bulldozed by Israeli forces, with only 20 items recovered from the ruins.
Palestinian officials said Israeli forces stole over 17,000 archaeological artefacts from the Al-Basha Palace Museum (Qasr al-Basha) in Gaza City during the two-year-long assault.
Hamouda al-Dahdar, the supervisor of the archaeological restoration of Al-Basha Palace said that the museum contained more than 17,000 items, primarily from the Mamluk era, before their disappearance, according to Palestinian sources. He attributed the theft primarily to Israeli forces, noting that only 20 artefacts recovered from the site’s rubble.
Al-Dahdar confirmed that the museum previously housed more than 17,000 artefacts, primarily dating back to the Mamluk, Ottoman, Byzantine, and Roman eras, as well as pre-historic periods.
The Al-Basha Palace, also Pasha’s Palace or Qasr al-Basha, is a 13th-century Mamluk-era structure that functioned as a fortress, governor’s residence, and later a museum displaying Gaza’s archaeological heritage, including pottery, coins, and relics across centuries.
Israeli forces bombed the site in December 2023 and subsequently bulldozed it, reducing it to ruins,in a bid to erase Palestinian identity and historical legacy in Gaza.