The Israeli website Walla considered the discovery recently announced by the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism to be "the remains of an ancient settlement in Egypt, likely dating back to the period of the Children of Israel."
The Israeli news site, which leans towards the hardline religious "right" in Tel Aviv, claimed that archaeologists in Egypt uncovered dwellings, tombs and discoveries dating back to the Hyksos period (1550-1650 BC), a period that some researchers link to the possible background of the story of the Israelites in Egypt.
He noted that archaeologists in Egypt have discovered an ancient settlement dating back to the Second Intermediate Period in Egypt, a period that has been the subject of debate among researchers for years regarding the historical context of the Exodus of the Israelites from Egypt as recounted in the Torah. This settlement was discovered at the Tell el-Kawa site in the Wadi Tumilat region, an ancient pass connecting the eastern Nile Delta with Egypt's eastern border.
The Hebrew website added that the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, which announced the discovery, reported that among the finds were tombs dating back to the Fifteenth Dynasty, also known as the First Hyksos Dynasty (circa 1550-1650 BCE). Furthermore, evidence was found that the site remained inhabited during the Eighteenth Dynasty, the period spanning the transition from Hyksos rule to the beginning of the New Kingdom, or Egyptian Empire.
These archaeological and political claims are frequently raised in the Israeli media, where some academic and media circles seek to link archaeological discoveries in the Nile Delta and Sinai Peninsula to biblical texts, in an attempt to promote the Israeli historical narrative.
