Palestinian farmer Nidal Abu Eid accidentally found an artifact, while cultivating his land in Khan Younis in the south of the Gaza strip, which proves the early civilization of Canaanites existed, according to the Hamas-run Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities.
Now, the statue was displayed in Qasr al-Basha, a historic building that serves as one of Gaza's few museums. Eid never thought of its archaeological value and considered selling it first instead. He told The New Arab that he was thankful to God and proud that the statue remained in their land since the Canaanite times.
In a press conference held in Gaza, the Director-General of Antiquities and Cultural Heritage Jamal Abu Rida announced on Tuesday the discovery of the 4,500-year-old statue of the goddess "Anat" from the Canaanite era. The 22-centimeter-tall limestone head statue was adorned with a snake crown, which was believed worn by the gods as a symbol of strength and invincibility.
He said it was one of the best-known Canaanite deities, the goodness of love, beauty, and war. "Such discoveries prove that Palestine has civilization and history, and no one can deny or falsify this history," he said. "This is the Palestinian people and their ancient Canaanite civilization."
He argued that the statue made a political point, stating that its "presence" contradicts the claim of the Zionists that the land of Palestine is a land without a people for a people without a land.
In 2017, The Times of Israel reported Hamas, a military terrorist group that seized control of Gaza, destroyed the remains of the Canaanite town of Tel es-Sakan to construct houses and military bases. Now, as the tensions between Israel and the Hamas-occupied territory intensify, many Gazans were reported making wry comments on social media, pointing out the discovery of a goddess associated with war seems apt.
Meanwhile, The Christian Post reported that such a statue was an idol of the ancient people God ordered the Israelites to drive out of the land for breaking His commandments and worshipping false gods. The Canaanites occupied Israel, which according to the Bible Project was the land God promised Abraham.
The descendants of Canaan angered God as they worshipped idols and sacrificed children to their false gods. Based on the report, their actions dishonored the first and second of God's Ten Commandments that state, "You shall not make for yourself a carved image or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth."
God delegated the role of taking His people to Canaan and retaking the land of Israel to Joshua. He assumed the leadership of the Israelites from Moses, who led the Jewish people out of Egypt. Bible Project also reiterated that God warned the Israelites not to be influenced by the wicked culture of the Canaanites. They were to fulfill God's promise to Abraham and his descendants to be a great nation and cleanse the land.
