Border Police discover Second Temple-period burial cave during operations in east Jerusalem

The discovery came as part of police’s ongoing investigations into the violent clash between two feuding families in Silwan that occurred over the weekend and led to the deaths of three people.

An ancient burial cave was discovered beneath a building by Border Police officers operating in the Silwan neighborhood of east Jerusalem, Israel Police announced on Monday.

Police called the find into the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA), which sent over personnel to properly survey the site. 

Preliminary investigations by the IAA indicate that the burials date back to the Second Temple period, between 516 BCE to 70 CE. Other archaeological artifacts were also found within the cave.

Israel and Border Police are securing the area in coordination with the IAA, in order to continue studying the findings as required.

The discovery came as part of police’s ongoing investigations into the violent clash between two feuding families in Silwan that occurred over the weekend and led to the deaths of three people.

One person was killed in the incident, while two others were shot by police after posing as “active threats” to the responding officers.

According to police, the two were wielding blunt instruments, blades, and Molotov cocktails.

'Bodies piling up at police station'

National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir on Sunday said that when he told the media that the public was quick to count those shot during police activity as deaths that occured as part of Arab sector violence in Israel, "the media was quick to shout: Fake!"

"So here it is: All night long the left-wing media reported on 'three murdered,' cried about 'bodies piling up at the police station,' and asked, 'Where are the police?' And the truth? Two of them threw stones and Molotov cocktails and were shot by our heroic police officers during the incident! This is exactly the mind games I was talking about," he said.