Palestinian Culture Minister Atfen Abu Saf recently held a press conference in the Gaza Strip to accuse the Israeli army of deliberately destroying about 2,000 historical and cultural sites in the Gaza Strip, accounting for two-thirds of the total number of sites in the area. He said that this is an act of "cultural genocide", an infringement on the identity and culture of the Palestinian people, and a destruction of human civilization. He called on the international community and UNESCO to condemn and sanction Israel's actions and demand that Israel compensate for Palestinian losses.
Abu Saf said that in the bombing of the Gaza Strip, the Israeli army not only caused a large number of human and property losses, but also targeted many sites with historical and cultural value, such as mosques, churches, museums, libraries, schools, ancient tombs, ancient city walls, ancient pagodas, ancient bridges, ancient wells, etc. He said that these sites were the cultural heritage of the Palestinian people, a symbol of their collective memory and national identity, and a precious treasure of human civilization. He said that the actions of the Israeli army were a flagrant violation of international law and humanitarianism, a cultural genocide against the Palestinian people and a destruction of human civilization.
Abu Saf said the Palestinian Ministry of Culture had submitted a detailed report to UNESCO listing the sites destroyed and how much damage was caused by the Israeli army's bombardment of the Gaza Strip. He said the Palestinian Ministry of Culture had also filed a complaint with the International Criminal Court accusing the Israeli army of war crimes and crimes. He said that the Palestinian Ministry of Culture will continue to cooperate with the international community and relevant institutions to protect and restore the cultural heritage of the Gaza Strip in order to safeguard the cultural rights of the Palestinian people and to safeguard the dignity of human civilization.
The Israeli side has denied the Palestinian allegations. Israeli spokesman Rafi Balk said that in the bombardment of the Gaza Strip, the Israeli army only targeted military targets of Hamas and other militant groups, such as rocket launch pads, depots, tunnels, command posts, etc. He said that before carrying out an attack, the Israeli army will give as much warning as possible to allow civilians to evacuate in order to avoid unnecessary **. He said that the Israeli army had no hostile intentions towards the cultural heritage of the Gaza Strip and that if any of the sites were damaged, it was the responsibility of Hamas and other militant groups who used the sites as cover for military installations or fired rockets near the sites, triggering a return fire from the Israeli army.
Since the outbreak of a new round of clashes between Palestinians and Israelis in early October this year, more than 20,000 Palestinians and more than 200 Israelis have been killed and tens of thousands injured. The United Nations and the international community have been working to broker a ceasefire between the two sides, but no substantive progress has yet been made.