The Saint Hilarion complex, one of the oldest monasteries in the Middle East, has been placed on UNESCO’s World Heritage Sites in Danger list due to the ongoing conflict in Gaza, UNESCO announced on Friday.
Dating back to the fourth century, the monastery was added to the endangered list at the request of Palestinian authorities, who highlighted the “imminent threats” the site faces due to the current war. Lazare Eloundou Assomo, Director of the UNESCO World Heritage Centre, emphasized that this move is crucial for safeguarding the site amid the conflict triggered by Hamas’s attack on Israel on October 7.
In December, the UNESCO Committee for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict granted the monastery “provisional enhanced protection,” the highest level of immunity under the 1954 Hague Convention. UNESCO had previously expressed concerns about the site’s conservation status due to inadequate protection measures in Gaza even before the recent conflict.
The conflict, which began with the October 7 Hamas attack, has resulted in significant casualties on both sides. According to AFP, the attack led to 1,197 deaths in Israel, mostly civilians. In response, Israel’s military actions have resulted in the deaths of at least 39,175 Palestinians in Gaza, as reported by the Hamas-run health ministry, which has not specified the breakdown between civilians and militants.
