Al-Qarara

Al-Qarara
Municipality type B
Arabic transcription(s)
•  Arabic	القرارة
•  Latin	al-Qrara (official) el-Qarara (unofficial)
Salah al-Din Road through al-Qarara in 2025
Al-Qarara Show map of Gaza Strip Al-Qarara Show map of Palestine
Coordinates: 31°22′23″N34°20′21″E / 31.37306°N 34.33917°E / 31.37306; 34.33917
State	State of Palestine
Governorate	Khan Yunis
Government
• Type	Municipality
• Control	Israel
• Head of Municipality	Eid al-Abdullah
Population  (2017) [1]
• Total	29,004

Al-Qarara (Arabic : القرارة) is a Palestinian town in the Khan Yunis Governorate of the Gaza Strip. It is located just north of Khan Yunis and approximately 24 kilometres (15 mi) south of Gaza City. According to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics, the town had a population of 29,004 people in 2017. ^[1]

Two months after the beginning of the Gaza war in 2023, al-Qarara was besieged for four months by the Israel Defense Forces. During this time, numerous residential buildings in the town were destroyed, and the town became the site of a displacement camp. ^{[2] [3]}

History

Al-Qarara, which used to be a farming village, ^[4] lies on trade routes dating back to the Bronze Age. ^[4] The town was home to the al-Qarara Cultural Museum, ^[4] which housed several Canaanite and Roman artifacts. Construction on a pedestrian bridge over Salah al-Din Road, funded by Japan, was completed in the town in September 2023. ^[5]

Gaza war

In December 2023, two months into the Gaza war, Israel issued evacuation orders to the inhabitants of al-Qarara, and initiated a siege of the town shortly thereafter. ^[6] During and after the siege, much of the town's infrastructure was destroyed. ^[7]

This photo depicts Al-Qarara's pedestrian bridge over Salah Aldin Street. On the left side of the photo, an UNRWA school. On the street, a donkey cart which became the main mean of transportation in Gaza after start of Gaza war

By 12 December of that year, al-Qarara was completely encircled by Israeli troops, who also engaged a number of other towns in the area, such as Absan, Al-Nazla, Bani Suheila, and al-Satr. ^{[8] [9]}

See also

• Israeli bombing of the Gaza Strip

References

1. Preliminary Results of the Population, Housing and Establishments Census, 2017 (PDF). Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS) (Report). State of Palestine. February 2018. pp. 64–82. Retrieved 2023-10-24.
2. "Gaza family accuses Israel of killing Palestinian with Down syndrome during incursion". Middle East Eye. Retrieved 2024-12-08.
3. "Israeli forces blow up residential buildings in Khan Yunis". EgyptToday. 2024-07-26. Retrieved 2024-12-08.
4. "In Gaza, a museum filled with history 'picked up' along the way". Christian Science Monitor. ISSN   0882-7729 . Retrieved 2023-12-28.
5. "Completion of a pedestrian bridge in Gaza's al Qarara funded by Japan celebrated". WAFA. 19 September 2023.
6. Kingsley, Patrick; Ahmad, Rawan Sheikh; Fuller, Thomas (2023-12-02). "Israel Orders Evacuations Amid 'Intense' Attacks on Southern Gaza". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved 2023-12-28.
7. "As part of its genocidal war in Gaza, Israel destroys Palestinians' cultural heritage". Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor. 2023-11-20. Retrieved 2023-12-28.
8. "Latest Updates On Bani Suheila Area In The East Of Khan Yunis (Map) - Islamic World News". 2023-12-06. Retrieved 2024-08-29.
9. "The Latest Situation In The South Of The Gaza Strip And Khan Yunis (Map) - Islamic World News". 2023-12-12. Retrieved 2024-08-29.