Perhaps they thought they could use the war as cover for their illicit activities, but if so, they were wrong: Two antiquities thieves were caught at the Horvat Hermesh site, home to ancient Roman- and Byzantine-era settlements. The Israel Antiquities Authority, along with an inspector from the Israel Nature and Parks Authority and a local security guard, discovered the looters neck-deep in a six-foot pit they had dug near an ancient oil press installation. The authorities called Border Police to apprehend them and bring them to the Zichron Yaakov police station for questioning.

In a strange twist, the police and the suspects, along with about 30 others, found themselves taking shelter during a rocket attack while the arrest was being conducted. The police were able to complete the detention once the all-clear sounded.

The thieves disturbed archaeological layers at the excavation site and destroyed some pottery, essential for dating as well as understanding historical patterns of settlement.

Stealing antiquities appears to be a popular wartime activity, as two other would-be antiquities thieves were arrested in a separate incident. Using metal detectors and excavation tools, the looters dug up artifacts at the Horvat Hadarim archaeological site along the Carmel coast. Police discovered the artifacts in their possession at the time of their arrest.

“Surrealistically, even in such tense times, when security forces and citizens are faced with life-threatening issues, there are those who try to exploit the situation and search for antiquities, while harming Israel’s heritage sites,” said Nir Distelfeld, the IAA’s Theft Prevention Unit’s Northern Region Supervisor.

“The Israel Antiquities Authority’s Theft Prevention Unit continues its activities on an ongoing basis, even during the war, with the aim of protecting the country’s cultural assets and past.”

However, stealing antiquities goes far beyond the ordinary nefariousness of looting: It erases history. The IAA reports hundreds of thefts a year. Many such incidents occur in remote areas where enforcement is weaker, resulting in the permanent loss of archaeological documentation.

“Antiquities robbers are not ordinary criminals, but rather saboteurs of history,” declared Heritage Minister Amichai Eliyahu. “They know full well that the archaeological finds in the Land of Israel are the infallible proof of our right to this land. Every pottery shard, every coin, and every relic testify that this has been our land and homeland since the days of our forefather Abraham.”

“That is why they do not hesitate to harm our history precisely in times of war,” he added. “Because it is part of the war. The war is over heritage, over history, over the question of who this land belongs to.”

But thanks to the alertness of the IAA, none of the suspects got away with their plans to sabotage Jewish history.