Palestinians begin to restore historic Gaza fort damaged by Israel

Palestinian workers have begun restoring a former medieval fortress-turned-museum in Gaza City, damaged by Israeli strikes, clearing away sand and crumbling mortar.

A dozen workers in high visibility jackets worked by hand to excavate the bombarded buildings that remain of the Pasha Palace Museum - which reputedly once housed Napoleon Bonaparte during a one-night stay in Gaza - stacking stones to be reused in one pile, and rubble to be discarded in another.

Around 114 sites were damaged by Israeli attacks in over two years of war, according to the UN's cultural heritage agency, Unesco.

More than 70 percent of the Pasha Palace's buildings were destroyed.

Other damaged sites include the Saint Hilarion Monastery complex - one of the oldest Christian monasteries in the Middle East - and Gaza City's Omari Mosque.

Reporting by AFP.