Al-Mughraqa
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{{Infobox settlement
| name = al-Mughraqa
| translit_lang1 = Arabic
| translit_lang1_type = Arabic
| translit_lang1_info = {{lang|ar|المغراقة}}
| translit_lang1_type1 = Latin
| translit_lang1_info1 = Abu Middein (official)
| type = Municipality type C
| image_skyline =
| image_caption =
| pushpin_map = Palestine
| pushpin_map_caption = Location of al-Mughraqa within Palestine
| image_map =
| map_caption =
| coordinates = {{coord|31|28|03.00|N|34|24|35.00|E|region:PS|display=inline,title}}
| grid_name = Palestine grid
| grid_position =
| subdivision_type = State
| subdivision_name = State of Palestine
| subdivision_type1 = Governorate
| subdivision_name1 = Gaza
| established_title = Founded
| established_date =
| government_footnotes =
| government_type = Municipality
| leader_title = Head of Municipality
| leader_name = Yousef Abu Hweishel
| unit_pref = dunam
| area_footnotes =
| area_total_km2 = 3.3
| area_total_dunam = 3260
| elevation_footnotes =
| elevation_m =
| elevation_min_m =
| elevation_max_m =
| population_footnotes = {{cite report |date=February 2018 |title=Preliminary Results of the Population, Housing and Establishments Census, 2017 |url=https://www.pcbs.gov.ps/Downloads/book2364-1.pdf |department=Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS) |publisher=State of Palestine |pages=64–82 |access-date=2023-10-24}}
| population_total = 11458
| population_as_of = 2017
| population_note =
| population_density_km2 = auto
| website =
| footnotes =
| subdivision_name2 =
| subdivision_type2 =
}}
Al-Mughraqa ({{langx|ar|المغراقة}}, also known as Abu Middein) is a Palestinian town in the Gaza Governorate of the Gaza Strip, located six kilometers southwest of Gaza City. According to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS), al-Mughraqa had a population of 11,458 in 2017. The town's alternate name, "Abu Middein" derives from the Bedouin Abu Middein tribe that inhabits the area, part of the larger al-Hanajreh tribal confederation.Roy, Sara. [https://books.google.com/books?id=X8jsAAAAMAAJ&q=Abu+Middain The Gaza Strip: the political economy of de development]. Institute for Palestine Studies, 1995. p.19. {{ISBN|0887282601}}
History
In 1996, a Bronze Age settlement dating to the early 2nd millennium BC was discovered in the town and named al-Moghraqa.{{citation |last1=Steel |first1=Louise |title=Gaza Research Project. Report on the 1999 and 2000 seasons at al-Moghraqa |date=2004 |journal=Levant |volume=36 |pages=37–88 |doi=10.1179/lev.2004.36.1.37 |last2=Clarke |first2=Joanne |last3=Sadeq |first3=Moain |last4=Manley |first4=Bill |last5=McCarthy |first5=Andrew |last6=Munro |first6=R. Neil}}
In 2002, during the Second Intifada, Israel carried out demolitions of Palestinian homes in al-Mughraqa.{{Cite web |title=Israeli Supreme Court Orders Temporary Halt to House Demolitions Near al-Mughraqa |url=https://pchrgaza.org/israeli-supreme-court-orders-temporary-halt-to-house-demolitions-near-al-mughraqa/ |access-date=2025-02-15 |language=en}}
The 2014 Gaza War caused damage to al-Mughraqa's water network; in 2015 the municipality had a non-revenue water rate of 58%, amongst the highest in the Gaza Strip.{{Cite journal |last=Alkasseh |first=Jaber |date=2018 |title=Contribution of Major Factors Affecting Non-Revenue Water to Water Supply Network in Gaza Strip, Palestine |journal=Israa University Journal of Applied Science |volume=2 |page=8 |doi=10.52865/SNMP9081 |doi-access=free}}
In late 2023, al-Mughraqa's residents fled south to escape the Israeli invasion of the Gaza Strip. They began to return in February 2025 following a ceasefire. The damage to al-Mughraqa was extensive, encompassing buildings and agricultural land, and the area was left without running water or an electrical supply.{{Cite news |last=Ibrahim |first=Sally |date=10 February 2025 |title=After Israeli army withdraws from Netzarim, Gaza's al-Mughraqa and Juhor ad-Dik residents return to devastation |url=https://www.newarab.com/news/gazas-al-mughraqa-and-juhor-ad-dik-residents-return-nothing |access-date=15 February 2025 |work=The New Arab}} An assessment by UNOSAT in December 2024 identified more than 2,800 buildings in al-Mughraqa that had been damaged or destroyed.{{Cite web |date=13 December 2024 |title=UNOSAT Gaza Strip Comprehensive Damage Assessment |url=https://unosat.org/products/4047 |access-date=2025-02-15 |website=unosat.org}}
Education
Al-Azhar University established a new campus in al-Mughraqa with international funding.{{Cite web |title=Faculty of Agriculture & Environment |url=https://alazhar.edu.ps/Eng/UnderGr/Agri/Home.asp |access-date=15 February 2025 |website=Al-Azhar University}} The campus was destroyed during the Gaza War in 2024.{{Cite web |last=Adler |first=Jonathan |date=2024-07-26 |title=The decimation of Gaza's academia is 'impossible to quantify' |url=https://www.972mag.com/gaza-academia-destruction-universities/ |access-date=2025-02-15 |website=+972 Magazine |language=en-US}}{{Cite news |last=Abraham |first=Leanne |last2=Erden |first2=Bora |last3=Ibrahim |first3=Nader |last4=Shao |first4=Elena |last5=Willis |first5=Haley |date=2024-02-01 |title=Israel's Controlled Demolitions Are Razing Neighborhoods in Gaza |url=https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2024/02/01/world/middleeast/Israel-gaza-war-demolish.html |access-date=2025-02-15 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}
The Moghraqa Preparatory Girls and Moghraqa Elementary Boys schools were damaged during the Gaza War.{{cite report |url=https://www.eenet.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Preliminary-school-damage-assessment_July2024_Final-1.pdf |title=Verification of Damage to Schools based on proximinty to damaged sites - Gaza, Occupied Palestinian Territories |date=July 2024 |publisher=Enabling Education Network |accessdate=15 February 2025}}
Demographics
As of 2010, most of al-Mughraqa's residents were refugees.{{Cite web |date=25 January 2010 |title=From the Wadi to Nowhere |url=https://www.unrwa.org/newsroom/features/wadi-nowhere |access-date=2025-02-15 |website=UNRWA |language=en}}
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- {{Cite web |last=Hoog |first=Niels de |last2=Voce |first2=Antonio |last3=Morresi |first3=Elena |last4=Ganguly |first4=Manisha |last5=Kirk |first5=Ashley |date=2024-01-30 |title=How war destroyed Gaza's neighbourhoods – visual investigation |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/ng-interactive/2024/jan/30/how-war-destroyed-gazas-neighbourhoods-visual-investigation |access-date=2024-02-12 |website=The Guardian |language=en |issn=1756-3224 |oclc=60623878}}
- [https://chronology.palestine-studies.org/Chronology?f%5B0%5D=field_keywords_new%3A104992 The Palestine Chronology]
{{Gaza Governorate}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mughraqa, al-}}
Category:Towns in the Gaza Strip
Category:Municipalities of Palestine
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