Remember the outrage when ISIS destroyed archaeological sites?
In a statement, rights group Al-Haq said that the destruction of the site was "a deliberate attempt to deprive resources indispensable for the survival of the Palestinian people in Gaza… [that] serves Israel’s colonial project, reinforcing its apartheid regime by erasing Palestinian identity.
This is it. This is why they do it. Like another commenter said; everyone was outraged when ISIS did it, but when Israel does it nobody bats an eye. I guess those byzantine graves were Hamas members too.
It has the bonus effect of removing evidence that Judaism was a religion made up of previous culture’s stories and legends. The guy who lost his shit at a statue in a museum was international news, and there will only be more evidence undermining Judaism’s claims to originality and truth buried in coastal areas. The Israeli government has long been stalling any archaeological work in Israel/Palestine, much to the dismay of historians. This makes sure nothing can be identified even long after the current fighting and reinforces the power of the ruling class.
Cites this report by Forensic Architecture: Living Archaeology in Gaza
In defense of Israel, they will stop all construction in Israel if any body/bones are found and it will be an archeological site for a while construction is halted. The response was to essentially destroy the ground during construction so nothing is found. The whole area has lots of history, most just don’t care. Nothing personal or special about Gaza.