A Palestinian archaeologist announced on Saturday 23rd of September that excavations in the besieged zone had been hampered by a lack of resources by the discovery of four Roman tombs dating back 2,000 years.

The discovery marks the first complete Roman necropolis, or cemetery, fully unearthed in Gaza © MAHMUD HAMS / AFP

"With the discovery of these four tombs, the total number of tombs in this Roman cemetery, dating from the period between the first century BC and the second century AD, now stands at 134 tombs," said archaeologist Fadel Al-Otol.

According to him, the find is the first entirely uncovered Roman necropolis, or cemetery, in Gaza.

"Fragments of pottery and metal pieces used in funeral rituals" have been found in the resting places, added Otol.

The cemetery is distinguished by the pyramid-shaped burials there. A group of technicians working under Otol's leadership inside of them use crude tools to perform restoration work.

"Two lead coffins, one adorned with clusters of grapes and the other with dolphins swimming in water, were recently discovered on the site," noted the Palestinian archaeologist, who lamented a lack of financial resources.

The British Council's Fund for the Protection of Culture provided the funds for the excavation and restoration work.

Impoverished With the exception of Rafah, which is under Egyptian authority, Israel's defense ministry controls all crossings into Gaza, which is home to some 2.3 million Palestinians.

Since 2007, the Palestinian islamist organization Hamas has been in charge of the region.