RAMALLAH, Palestine

Palestine said on Friday that St. Hilarion Monastery in central Gaza has been added to the World Heritage in Danger list.

“This achievement was made during the 46th session of the World Heritage Committee of UNESCO, held in New Delhi, India,” Palestinian Minister of Tourism and Antiquities Hani al-Hayek said in a statement published by his office.

Al-Hayek praised UNESCO's emergency decision to list the site, describing it as an integral part of the exceptional Palestinian heritage with significant human value.

“This action is part of the Palestinian leadership's efforts to preserve Gaza's cultural heritage amid the brutal war and genocide faced by our people,” he added.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas welcomed the UN committee's decision, calling it a “very important decision given the ongoing Israeli genocidal war on the Strip and evidence to the authenticity and history of the Palestinian people.”

In a statement reported by Palestine’s official news agency WAFA, Abbas said: “The State of Palestine will continue to protect this unique site for humanity as a whole.”

St. Hilarion Monastery, dating back to the Byzantine era, is one of the largest and oldest monasteries in Palestine and the Middle East.

The Israeli military has destroyed approximately 206 archaeological and heritage sites since the beginning of the Israeli war on the Gaza Strip, according to the Gaza Media Office.

Israel, flouting a UN Security Council resolution demanding an immediate cease-fire, has faced international condemnation amid its continued brutal offensive on Gaza since an Oct. 7 attack by Hamas.

Nearly 39,200 Palestinians have been killed, mostly women and children, and over 90,400 injured, according to local health authorities.

Over nine months into the Israeli onslaught, vast tracts of Gaza lie in ruins amid a crippling blockade of food, clean water, and medicine.

Israel is accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice, which ordered it to immediately halt its military operation in the southern city of Rafah, where more than 1 million Palestinians had sought refuge from the war before it was invaded on May 6.

*Writing by Mohammad Sio

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