Al-Zahra | |
|---|---|
| Arabic transcription(s) | |
| • Arabic | الزهراء |
| • Latin | Madinat Az-Zahra' (official) Ezahra (unofficial) |
 Municipal Seal of Al-Zahra' Municipality | |
  Al-Zahra Location of Al-Zahra within Palestine | |
| Coordinates: 31°28′17.69″N34°24′4.62″E / 31.4715806°N 34.4012833°E | |
| State | State of Palestine |
| Governorate | Gaza |
| Founded | 1998 |
| Government | |
| • Type | Municipality |
| • Head of Municipality | Tareq Hijo |
| Area | |
• Total | 4,634 dunams (4.6 km2 or 1.8 sq mi) |
| Population (2017) [1] | |
• Total | 5,338 |
| • Density | 1,200/km2 (3,000/sq mi) |
| Etymology | The Rose |
Al-Zahra (Arabic : الزهراء) is a Palestinian municipality in the Gaza Governorate, south of Gaza and north of the Wadi Gaza, in the central Gaza Strip. The University of Palestine and Ummah Open University are located there. In 2017, it had a population of 5,338. [1] There were 837 housing units and 237 other buildings in the town. [2]
Yasser Arafat established Al-Zahra in the 1990s as a residential area for Palestine Authority staff and supporters. It remained a neighborhood with larger houses and more open space than others in Gaza City. [3] In 1998, a Bronze Age archaeological site was discovered at Al-Zahra during work on a housing project. The site was subsequently named Tell es-Sakan and investigated by archaeologists. [4]
In the 2023 Israel–Hamas war, it was untouched by airstrikes until October 19, 2023, when more than twenty apartment blocks were bombed by the Israel Defense Forces. [5] [6]
During the building of the netzarim corridor the city was captured by the israel defence forces
