Inclusion of St. Hilarion Monastery in Gaza on the List of Endangered Heritage

The St. Hilarion Monastery in the Gaza Strip has been added to UNESCO's World Heritage in Danger list, as announced by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization on Friday. UNESCO stated on its website that "the remains of the St. Hilarion Monastery/Tel Umm ‘Amir, located on the hills of the Nuseirat coast, are among the oldest monastic sites in the Middle East, dating back to the fourth century." World Heritage Director Eloundo Lazari explained that "the request came from Palestine," which views resorting to UNESCO as "the only refuge to protect the site from destruction in the current circumstances" amid the devastating war between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip.