GAZA CITY, Palestinian Territories —
Construction workers at a building site in northern
Gaza have uncovered 31
Roman-era tombs dating from the first century AD, Hamas said on Monday.
اضافة اعلان
The tombs were discovered near the town of
Beit Lahia as work began on an Egyptian-funded residential area, part of the $500
million reconstruction package Cairo pledged after the 11-day Israeli war on
Gaza in May.
Naji Sarhan, an official at Gaza’s Ministry of
Public Works, confirmed the find and said there is “evidence that there are
other graves” at the site.
Construction work has been halted and technicians
from Gaza’s Ministry of Antiquities and Tourism have been sent to the site to
catalogue gravestones and artefacts, officials said.
One technician, who requested anonymity, said the
tombs were believed to be part of a cemetery linked to a nearby Roman site in
Balakhiya.
The find was the latest in Gaza, where tourism to
archaeological sites is limited due to an Israeli blockade imposed since 2007.
Israel and
Egypt, which shares a border with Gaza,
tightly restrict the flow of people in and out of the impoverished strip, which
is home to about 2.3 million Palestinians.
Last month, Hamas reopened the remains of a fifth-century
Byzantine church following a years-long restoration effort backed by foreign
donors.
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