- Palestinian authorities are seeking UNESCO tentative listing for 14 sites amid reported damage from war
- Officials say move aims to document heritage destruction and safeguard cultural identity under threat
Palestinian authorities have submitted a request to UNESCO to place 14 cultural and natural landmarks in Gaza and the occupied West Bank on the World Heritage Tentative List, citing threats to the historic sites amid reported aggression by Israel.
The proposed locations span thousands of years of history, from prehistoric caves and ancient trade routes to religious monuments central to Palestinian cultural and spiritual life.
Officials said the move is aimed at documenting and preserving heritage sites that have been damaged, endangered or placed at risk by conflict.
International organizations have repeatedly warned of widespread destruction of cultural property in Gaza since the outbreak of war in the territory following the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas-led attacks on southern Israel.
“The destruction of these sites is part of targeting the Palestinian national identity,” said Rula Maayah, the Palestinian minister of tourism and antiquities, in a statement reported by the official Palestinian news agency, WAFA.
Beyond the immediate damage that followed the Oct. 7 attacks and subsequent Israeli military response in Gaza, Maayah also highlighted the wider role of international heritage mechanisms in preserving threatened sites.
“Protecting cultural heritage sites inscribed on the World Heritage list in Palestine is essential,” she said during earlier discussions with UNESCO.
“The inclusion of Palestinian sites on UNESCO’s World Heritage list confirms the Palestinian right and highlights the importance of our cultural and archaeological heritage,” she added.
UNESCO previously confirmed damage to numerous historic structures in Gaza, raising concerns about irreversible losses at sites that form part of Gaza’s cultural heritage.
The most prominent landmarks referenced in the Palestinian request include the Great Omari Mosque and the Church of Saint Porphyrius. Located in Gaza City, they are among the territory’s oldest surviving religious buildings.
The mosque, regarded as the largest and most historic mosque in Gaza, has suffered extensive damage during Israeli military operations.
The Saint Porphyrius compound, which has long served as a refuge in times of conflict, was struck in October 2023, resulting in civilian casualties among those sheltering inside.
UNESCO said the significance of such sites extends beyond their physical fabric.
“Damaged religious sites are valued both as historical monuments and as active places of worship central to living communities,” a UNESCO spokesperson told Arab News.
“Damage to such sites represents not only a loss of cultural property but also harm to the social and spiritual fabric of the communities they serve.”
An assessment by the Palestinian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities in early February 2025 detailed the scale of damage to Gaza’s cultural heritage, and warned that political uncertainty could delay hundreds of millions of euros in restoration work.
The assessment was compiled by the Palestinian Centre for Cultural Heritage Preservation, with funding from the British Council’s Cultural Heritage Fund, in collaboration with the University of Oxford’s Endangered Archaeology in the Middle East and North Africa project.
According to the report, 138 of 316 cultural and historical sites surveyed in Gaza were found to have suffered severe damage, many of them reduced to rubble. The figures do not account for any further damage sustained in the year since the report was published.
It attributed 71 percent of the damage and destruction to direct Israeli airstrikes and bombings, and said additional damage had been caused by bulldozer demolitions and tank incursions.
It estimated that emergency mitigation efforts alone would cost about 31.2 million euros ($37 million) and take 12 to 18 months, while the cost of full reconstructions could reach 261 million euros over as long a period as eight years.
Despite the scale of the destruction, urgent efforts by Palestinian heritage professionals to document damage, stabilize structures and salvage archaeological material have begun. However, funding uncertainty remains a major concern.
“We want the US to encourage reconstruction, not obstruct it, as there is an international responsibility to assist in the recovery and rebuilding process,” Jehad Yasin, the general director of excavations and museums at the Palestinian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, told The Art Newspaper, warning that delays risked compounding the damage.
“Political hesitation is preventing the protection of sites that have already suffered immense destruction,” he said, adding that without sustained international support, parts of Gaza’s cultural heritage could be lost forever.
Israeli officials have criticized the Palestinian engagement with UNESCO, arguing that such initiatives politicize an organization intended to protect global heritage. Similar objections have been raised in previous years, particularly when UNESCO decisions have involved sites in contested parts of the West Bank.
Inclusion on the Tentative List is a prerequisite for future nomination to UNESCO’s World Heritage List, and provides a mechanism for states to identify sites they believe hold outstanding cultural or natural value.
Palestine already has several sites on the Tentative List, including Gaza’s ancient Anthedon Harbor and the Wadi Gaza coastal wetlands, with the last update submitted in 2020. The latest request, if approved, would significantly expand that list.
In response, UNESCO said submissions are assessed using the same framework worldwide, regardless of whether sites are within conflict zones.
“Requests for tentative listing or nominations are handled through standard World Heritage procedures, which apply uniformly to all States Parties regardless of conflict,” said the organization’s spokesperson.
Evaluations are “guided by technical criteria and expert evaluations following the Operational Guidelines for Implementation under the 1972 Convention Concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage,” they added.
While a tentative listing does not grant World Heritage status or legal protections, UNESCO said it can still play a practical role.
“Tentative Lists are maintained by the countries,” the spokesperson said. “In many countries this enables better national protection mechanisms, and enables monitoring and technical assessment and engagement as well as increased international and national awareness.”
The organization also highlighted the principles of international law governing cultural heritage during times of war.
“The 1954 Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict, adopted by UNESCO, states that all parties must avoid targeting cultural property during armed conflict and refrain from using it for military purposes,” the spokesperson said.
The latest Palestinian move intersects with long-standing political tensions in the West Bank, particularly in Area C, which remains under full Israeli civil and security control.
Many archaeological and heritage sites in such areas are difficult for Palestinians to access or protect, with competing claims over history, ownership and conservation. UNESCO said it evaluates heritage strictly through a technical lens.
“UNESCO applies strictly technical, criteria-based evaluation of heritage, independent of territorial or sovereignty disputes,” the spokesperson said.
In July 2024, UNESCO granted emergency World Heritage status to the Saint Hilarion Monastery, also known as Tell Umm Amer, in central Gaza. The site was simultaneously placed on the List of World Heritage in Danger, in recognition of both its archaeological significance and its vulnerability amid the war.
“UNESCO upholds the 1972 Convention’s core principle that heritage in general, and not just sites of Outstanding Universal Value, must be protected,” the spokesperson said.
“During conflict, as a specialized agency, the organization prioritizes technical assistance,” they added, which includes monitoring and advocacy aimed at ensuring respect for international principles safeguarding cultural heritage.
If accepted, the updated Palestinian Tentative List would mark the first step toward possible future nominations. Whether any sites could qualify for emergency measures remains uncertain, particularly given restrictions on access, security conditions and the scale of destruction in Gaza.
For Palestinians, the bid is about more than simply preserving historic structures; it is an effort to assert cultural continuity and historical presence at a time when both physical heritage and everyday life remain under great threat.