Gaza naval police excavate archaeological site off the Gaza coast

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The Palestinian naval police have found several ancient archaeological artefacts in the depth of the Mediterranean Sea off the Gaza coast, a spokesman for the Palestinian police in Gaza announced on Wednesday.

Spokesman, Ayman al-Batneeji, told a press conference at the fishing port in Gaza: “The floating force of the naval police pulled out a group of rare archaeological relics, including poles and baked clay, dating back thousands of years.”

Al-Batneeji praised the efforts of the Palestinian naval police which carried out the excavation in addition to its primary duties which are the protection and care of fishermen.

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“This is not the first time that the naval police have pulled out archaeological pieces from the sea,” Al-Batneeji said. “Two years ago, they extracted another group of artefacts which also belonged to ages long past.”

In response to a question about the Palestinian naval police’s capabilities with regard to possible future excavations, Al-Batneeji said: “We are prepared for this, but the shortage of appropriate tools and skills hinder our work.” He said that the naval police exert much effort in carrying out such missions.

Al-Batneeji encouraged the naval police to continue its efforts in excavating the Gaza coast and searching out more archaeological pieces, particularly in the shipwreck close to the Gaza beach.