Today, Tuesday, the Palestinian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities announced an archaeological discovery that was found at the archaeological site of Sheikh Hamouda in the city of Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip, which symbolizes the oldest human civilization that lived in Gaza City.

Jamal Abu Rida, Director General of Antiquities and Cultural Heritage at the Ministry of Tourism, said in a press conference, “The Canaanite statue belongs to the Canaanite goddess “Anat,” and she is the goddess of “love, beauty and war,” according to Canaanite mythology and belief. The statue’s age is about 4,500 years.

Abu Rida explained that a Palestinian farmer found him while cultivating his land east of Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip, and handed him over to the competent authorities in Gaza.

Abu Rida stressed that this statue is a witness to the Palestinian people's right to their land and the transcendence of their civilization and heritage since the dawn of humanity and refutes the alleged Zionist narrative that the land of Palestine is a land without a people for a people without a land.

"The archaeological discovery is still in its infancy, and we are looking to learn more secrets and cultural values in the various eras that lived on the land of Gaza," he said.

According to Abu Rida, “the statistics for the number of visitors to the various archaeological sites in Gaza during the month of March were about 17,000, which indicates the growing awareness of knowledge for Palestinians of all categories to learn about their history, heritage and national constants.”