GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — Young people launched a trending hashtag to urge the Palestinian Council of Ministers in its Oct. 17 session to halt all forms of pre-construction work at the archaeological Tall es-Sakan site in the northern Gaza Strip.
The young Palestinians launched an Arabic hashtag that translates as "Save Tall es-Sakan," which went viral on social media and was highly covered by newspapers and news websites. On Oct. 13, a youth group gathered at the historical site of Tall es-Sakan and protested the ongoing soil-moving operations.
The young men and women gathered at Tall es-Sakan and called on all parties to the Palestinian government, represented by the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities in Gaza, the Palestinian Land Authority (PLA), as well as history experts and professors, to stop the works at the oldest archaeological site in Gaza.
Youth activist Ahmed Abdel-Al, one of the main organizers of this gathering, told Al-Monitor, "The invitation was open to everyone. The high turnout from young Gazans shows their interest in archaeological sites in Palestine. We only called for stopping the [pre-construction works] at Tall es-Sakan and all archaeological sites that prove our presence on this land. We will organize new youth movements and events to promote interest in archaeological sites."
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