By Anadolu staff
RAMALLAH, Palestine (AA) – Israeli forces confiscated five historical artifacts in the town of Al-Mazra'a ash-Sharqiya northeast of Ramallah in the occupied West Bank, according to eyewitnesses.
The Israeli army, accompanied by Israeli Civil Administration teams, raided a mountainous area in the town and seized five Byzantine-era historical columns from an archaeological site, eyewitnesses said.
Israeli media reports claimed the columns were confiscated on allegations that Palestinians were constructing buildings in the area and damaging historical artifacts.
Palestinian Tourism and Antiquities Minister Hani al-Hayek has said that Israeli attacks have completely or partially destroyed 316 archaeological and historical sites, noting that the attacks are "war crimes aimed at erasing Palestine's history."
Muayyad Shaban, head of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) Wall and Settlement Resistance Commission, said earlier that Israel plans to confiscate 4,600 dunams (1,137 acres) of land in the towns of Sebastia and Burqa near Nablus in the West Bank under the pretext of protecting archaeological sites.
More than 1,087 Palestinians have been killed and 10,700 others injured in attacks by the Israeli army and illegal settlers in the occupied territory since October 2023. Over 20,500 people have been arrested.
The International Court of Justice declared Israel's occupation of Palestinian territory illegal in July last year, calling for the evacuation of all settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.