Gaza City, Apr 11, 2016 / 17:13 pm
Newly uncovered ancient ruins of Byzantine-era church are threatened by the construction of a commercial shopping mall in Gaza, with Palestinian Christians and archaeologists making desperate appeals to save a piece of history.
"It breaks one's heart to see such destruction of a valuable source of history and one just cannot wipe out thousands-of-years-old history and its significant value," a young person based in the Holy Land, who wanted to go unnamed, told CNA Apr 11.
"It should not be looked at as a religious issue but a discovery of a treasure, knowledge…But developers see the site as an opportunity. We pray that peace prevails in the region."
Construction workers were preparing a large area of land for the construction of a new shopping mall. On April 2, they found ancient ruins believed to be from a Byzantine church dating back as early as the fourth or fifth century A.D.