France, May 17 -- Ancient artefacts from Gaza - amphorae, statues, mosaics, funerary steles and more - tell the story of 5,000 years of a civilisation, in a Paris exhibition that seeks to preserve a heritage on the brink of erasure.

Assembled in just four and a half months, the exhibition, entitled "Treasures Rescued from Gaza - 5,000 Years of History",at the Institut du Monde Arabe honours Gaza's rich past and looks to protect what's left of a cultural legacy that has endured empires, invasions and now war.

"More than ever, especially since 7 October and the destruction that followed, Gaza deserves to have its history told," said museum president Jack Lang, a former French culture minister.

His words resonate in the low-lit basement g...