Gaza volunteers race to save cultural heritage from ruins of war

A group of volunteers in the Gaza Strip is striving to safeguard the remnants of the territory's historical artifacts, aiming to fully document each piece to preserve a fragile heritage.

Inside a tent in southern Gaza, volunteers carefully store artifacts rescued from destroyed heritage sites.

The collection is part of the "Heritage Guardians" initiative, launched in 2024 to protect Gaza's cultural heritage from being lost beneath the rubble.

After recovery, the items are transported for cleaning, documentation and storage in numbered wooden crates.

"We stored these artifacts inside a tent because there are no museums, warehouses or restoration labs left in Gaza - all have been destroyed. Even the museum in Al-Qarara was completely destroyed. So we moved the pieces to a safer area in Al-Mawasi and preserved them inside this museum tent," said Etemad Abu Amra, a member of the volunteer team.

The volunteers said they have already recovered nearly 3,000 artifacts, including ancient pottery, traditional Palestinian embroidery, household items and archaeological pieces dating back centuries.

"We traveled to damaged locations to rescue these artifacts, then organized them into a digital archive. The team has made tremendous efforts to recover these pieces from beneath the rubble of targeted sites," said cultural heritage guide Muhannad Abu Lahia.

"Our work isn't limited to preserving photos or entering data into computers. We document the full historical background of every artifact - to ensure it remains a witness for future generations. Each piece goes through several stages, including photography, documentation and digital archiving," said Tasneem Lahia, another volunteer.

Palestinian authorities have requested UNESCO to place 14 cultural and natural landmarks in Gaza and the occupied West Bank on the World Heritage Tentative List, citing threats facing historical sites during Israel's war on the territory.

UNESCO says it has verified damage to 164 cultural sites in Gaza since October 2023, including religious sites, historical buildings, museums, monuments and archaeological locations.

Gaza volunteers race to save cultural heritage from ruins of war

The International Energy Agency (IEA) said on Wednesday that oil reserves in members of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) had fallen by a cumulative 163 million barrels since the outbreak of the Middle East conflict, reaching their lowest level since December 1990.

According to the IEA's latest Monthly Oil Report, global observed oil stocks have fallen by an average of 3.8 million barrels per day (mb/d) since the start of the Middle East conflict, including a draw of 143 million barrels in May, mainly due to accelerated releases of emergency stocks.

The report said the memorandum of understanding due to be signed by the United States and Iran this week was an important step toward easing regional tensions and could pave the way for reopening the Strait of Hormuz and lifting the U.S. blockade on Iranian oil traffic.

The IEA forecast global oil supply to fall by an average of 3.9 mb/d in 2026 to 102.4 mb/d, before rising by 8 mb/d in 2027 to 110.3 mb/d. However, unresolved issues, including mine clearance in the Strait of Hormuz and transit arrangements, mean operational and political risks could still weigh on the pace of supply recovery.

The agency said a significant supply overhang could emerge next year. Global oil demand is projected to rise by a relatively modest 2 mb/d to 105.3 mb/d, while supply is expected to increase by about 8 mb/d to 110.3 mb/d.

The surplus could ease market pressures and allow countries to replenish depleted inventories or build strategic reserves as they reassess energy policies in response to the crisis, the IEA said.

IEA says OECD oil stocks fall to lowest since 1990