ICC Note: Christians in Gaza City are outraged about the handling of ancient ruins of a Byzantine Church uncovered earlier this week. Construction workers unearthed the site last Wednesday in an area under the control of Hamas. Reports show that the workers at the site have removed ancient artifacts and continued working without inspection or care.  Christians in the region are expressly worried that their history and legacy is being wiped out in an attempt to disprove the long standing heritage of Christianity in Gaza.

04/06/2016 Washington D.C. (Jerusalem Post) Palestinian Christians on Wednesday expressed anger over the way the Palestinian Authority and Hamas have handled the ancientruins of a Byzantine church that were uncovered in Gaza City last week.

They said that bulldozers removed the antiquities and continued with their work without supervision. They accused the two big Palestinian parties of seeking to obliterate Christian history and identity in the Holy Land.

Construction workers found the remains of the 1,500-year old church in Palestine Square in Gaza City, where a shopping mall is being built.

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The construction work is being carried in an area that is under the control of Hamas.

That is why some of the criticism is also being directed against the Hamas authorities in the Gaza Strip. Sources in the Gaza said that the Wakf (Islamic trust) Ministry in the Strip was responsible for the construction.

Some Palestinian Christians claimed that the construction workers moved the remains of the church out of their way and continued work at the site.

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“Had they found the remains of a mosque or synagogue or any other ancient structure, would they have dealt with them in the same manner?” Nairouz asked. “Or are they doing this because it’s an ancient church?” His criticism came in a letter he wrote to PA Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah and Minister of Antiquities and Tourism Rula Maa’yaa.

“It’s obvious that Christian legacy and human beings are being targeted in our region,” the priest charged.

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