Cultural Heritage at Risk: A Critical Examination of the Armed Conflict’s Impact on Archaeological Sites in the West Bank, Palestine (Post-October 2023)

The archaeological heritage of the West Bank faces an unprecedented crisis, as widespread destruction driven by antiquities looting continues to accelerate. This phenomenon is fueled by a complex interplay of factors, including entrenched poverty, the growing demand for looted artifacts in Israeli and global antiquities markets, ongoing political instability, and a limited public understanding within Palestinian society of the socio-political and identity-related significance of cultural heritage. Amid the ongoing armed conflict in Gaza and surrounding regions which commenced in October 2023, a comprehensive survey has been conducted to evaluate the impact of the war—along with its associated socio-economic repercussions—on archaeological sites, with particular emphasis on the phenomenon of antiquities looting. The study systematically examined 440 randomly selected sites across the West Bank. Employing a multidisciplinary methodology, the research integrates extensive on-site documentation—including written records and both ground-level and drone photography—with the analysis of satellite imagery for selected sites. Additionally, interviews with antiquities looters provide key insights into the motivations, methods, and scale of this destructive activity. The findings reveal that a significant proportion of the surveyed sites have suffered extensive damage, with up to 70% of the total area of some sites affected within a single year.