Siege
On the 6th of December, Israeli forces invaded Al-Qarara, clashing with Palestinian forces. [6] On the 11th of December, Israeli forces attacked the areas of al-Sureij and al-Qarara. [7] On 31 December, it was reported that Israeli forces had moved troops into Al–Sureij, tightening the siege around Al-Qarara. [8] On the 10th of January, Al Jazeera was able to access Al-Qarara following Israeli retreat where it documented massive destruction and large number of deaths. [9]
On the 3rd of March, Israeli forces resumed operations in Al-Qarara. [10] On the 9th of March IDF Bislamach Brigade clashed with Palestinian militants in Qarara. Hamas' Qarara Battalion remained combat effective. [4] On the 16th of March, Israel made small advances in Al-Qarara. [11]
On March 20, Hamas stated that it had blown up a tunnel operated by Israeli forces, killing and wounding a number of Israeli soldiers. [12]
On March 21, Israeli 7th Brigade clashed with Palestinian forces who targeted their tanks with RPGs. [10] On the 24th of March, Israel targeted a Hamas meeting in Qarara. [13] On the 29th of March, Palestinian Islamic Jihad and Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine separately claimed a series of attacks in Al-Qarara. [14] On the 2nd of April, IDF 7th Brigade conducted an airstrike targeting Palestinian militants and weapon depots in Qarara. [15] On the 3rd of April, IDF reported to have destroyed a rocket launcher inside an olive garden in Al-Qarara. [16] On the 7th of April, 2024 Israeli forces withdrew from Al-Qarara and other areas in southern Gaza strip. [1] They failed to find senior Hamas officials or hostages there despite intelligence indicating so. [3]
Ecological impact
Before the siege, al-Qarara was home to Gaza's only Baladi (indigenous) [24] seed bank, [25] founded by Hanadi Muhanna. It was aimed at preserving and protecting local seeds including wheat, spinach, barely and others for the purpose of combating the effects of imported seed on local farmers, climate change and the danger of extinction of local seed varieties. [26] The seed bank collaborated with over 200 local farming families. [24] However, during the campaign in al-Qarara it was destroyed by Israeli forces. [27] Following its destruction and their displacement to Deir al-Balah, Hanadi and her family have started a new seed bank. [24] [28]
Al-Qarara was also home to vast agricultural lands including olive and citrus trees. However, 60% of its farmland was bulldozed by Israeli forces during the offensive, alongside 15 artisanal wells, a major water reservoir, and dozens of private wells. [29] By February 2024, the bulk water supply scheme of al-Qarara was severely destroyed. In an anaylsis of Israeli bombing of al-Qarara it was noted that damage to water infrastructure 'may have resulted from attacks dispersed over a wide-area, as opposed to direct targeting of specific infrastructure locations, although targeting of an area could be influenced by the presence of [water sanitation and hygiene] infrastructure.' [30]
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