Ancient Greek statue found in Gaza

A life-size bronze statue of the ancient Greek deity Apollo, dating back to 2500 years ago, has been discovered by a local fisherman in Gaza seashore, Press TV has reported.

The fisherman Jawdat Ghorab, 26, from the central Gaza Strip found the relic among rocks on the seashore last August.

After hearing rumors of such as discovery for months, the police investigated and seized the artifact, weighing 450 kg (1000 pounds) and 1.7 meters (5.8 feet) in height.

“The statue, with its green patina, was unlikely to have come from beneath the waves,” said the young Gaza archeologist Fadel Al Utol.

He has suggested to the Hamas government’s tourism and antiquities ministry that a Franco-Palestinian team helps restore the Gaza Apollo and put it on display in a local museum.

The Gaza Strip is rich with antiquities from different civilizations, though, most of its artifacts were stolen during the forty years of Israeli occupation of the territory.

Experts say that the discovery of the Apollo statue shows how this blockaded coastal strip was once a multicultural crossroad for various civilizations.