Recovery plan

Palestinian officials and UNESCO are preparing a three-phase recovery plan with an initial cost of $133 million for the historical sites, said Jehad Yasin, assistant deputy minister at the Palestinian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, based in the West Bank.

The first priority will be to quickly intervene to support structures that could collapse without support. But there is a shortage of white cement and gypsum. Resources in Gaza are limited and the costs of excavation and restoration materials have skyrocketed, he said.