The Association of Italian Archaeologists has called for an end to the destruction of Gaza. According to the petition, "alongside the systematic massacre of civilians and the establishment of a vast prison camp, which is causing a terrible famine before our eyes, we are witnessing an equally systematic destruction of historical and cultural heritage. Archives, libraries, architectural, cultural, and archeological sites are being deliberately and widely destroyed". The archaeologists have observed that, as of February 2025, approximately 53% of the rich cultural heritage of Gaza, a major port and crossroads between Africa and Asia since at least the second millennium BC, was destroyed or severely damaged, as per a joint report by the World Bank, the European Union, and the United Nations (Gaza and West Bank. Interim rapid damage and needs assessments). In addition to some of the oldest mosques and churches in the region, these sites include the ancient port of Anthedon, which includes buildings dating back to the 8th century BC, the Pasha Palace Museum, a 13th-century monument that once housed an archaeological museum but has since been completely destroyed, and the Al Mat'haf Museum, Gaza's first archaeological museum, which was looted, burned, and demolished.