Ancient mosaic floors were found near the Bureij refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip, the Hamas-run Tourism and Antiquities Ministry announced earlier this month, revealing photos of the site on Saturday.
The site was uncovered about a half mile away from the border with Israel by Suleiman al-Nabahin, a Gazan farmer, while he was planting an olive tree, according to the Associated Press.
A statement by the ministry published on Saturday revealed that preliminary archaeological work at the site had uncovered mosaic floors, depictions of animals and social life dating back to the Byzantine era, another set of flooring with geometric shapes and additional architectural monuments and remains of ancient walls.
Pottery and glass bottles were also found at the site.
"This provides us with historical information and details about the ancient civilizations and anthropology in Gaza, the historical and economic relations with the ancient regional environment and the status of Palestine across the world, which we will provide you with details about when excavating and revealing its secrets," said the ministry.
"These are the most beautiful mosaic floors discovered in Gaza, both in terms of the quality of the graphic representation and the complexity of the geometry."
René Elter, French Biblical and Archaeological School of Jerusalem
Gazan crews are working in partnership with international experts and archaeologists from the French Biblical and Archaeological School of Jerusalem.
"The archaeological discovery is still in its infancy, and we are waiting to learn more secrets and cultural values, in the various eras that lived on the land of Gaza," added the Gazan ministry.
René Elter, an archaeologist from the French Biblical and Archaeological School of Jerusalem, told the AP that "These are the most beautiful mosaic floors discovered in Gaza, both in terms of the quality of the graphic representation and the complexity of the geometry."
Elter dated the floors to somewhere between the 5th and 7th centuries but added that proper excavations would be needed to determine the exact period and what its purpose was.
The latest archaeological site uncovered in the Gaza Strip
A number of ancient archaeological sites have been uncovered in the coastal enclave over the past year.
In April, a farmer uncovered a 4,500-year-old Canaanite statue in the southern Gaza Strip.
In February, an ancient Roman cemetery was uncovered by bulldozers preparing a site for a housing project in the Strip.