Al-Qarara

{{Infobox settlement

| name = al-Qarara

| translit_lang1 = Arabic

| translit_lang1_type = Arabic

| translit_lang1_info = {{lang|ar|القرارة}}

| translit_lang1_type1 = Latin

| translit_lang1_info1 = al-Qrara (official)
el-Qarara (unofficial)

| type = Municipality type B

| image_skyline =

| image_caption =

| pushpin_map = Palestine Gaza Strip#Palestine

| image_map =

| map_caption =

| coordinates = {{coord|31|22|23|N|34|20|21|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 = Khan Yunis

| established_title = Founded

| established_date =

| government_footnotes =

| government_type = Municipality

| leader_title = Control

| leader_name = {{flagicon|Israel}} Israel

| leader_title1 = Head of Municipality

| leader_name1 = Eid al-Abdullah

| unit_pref = dunam

| area_footnotes =

| area_total_km2 =

| area_total_dunam =

| 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 = 29004

| population_as_of = 2017

| population_note =

| population_density_km2 = auto

| website =

| footnotes =

}}

Al-Qarara or Al Qarara ({{langx|ar|القرارة}}) is a Palestinian town located north of Khan Yunis, in the Khan Yunis Governorate of the southern Gaza Strip. According to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics, al-Qarara had a population of 29,004 inhabitants in 2017, The town is 15 miles south of Gaza City, and used to be a farming village.{{Cite news |title=In Gaza, a museum filled with history ‘picked up’ along the way |work=Christian Science Monitor |url=https://www.csmonitor.com/World/Middle-East/2021/0914/In-Gaza-a-museum-filled-with-history-picked-up-along-the-way |access-date=2023-12-28 |issn=0882-7729}} It lies on trade routes dating back to the Bronze Age.

The town was a site of a displacement camp during the Gaza war.{{Cite web |title=Gaza family accuses Israel of killing Palestinian with Down syndrome during incursion |url=https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/gaza-palestinian-down-syndrome-killed-israel-incursion-says-family |access-date=2024-12-08 |website=Middle East Eye |language=en}} The IDF bombed the Al-Qarara Museum in the area In October 2023, which houses Canaanite and Roman-era artifacts from the region.{{Cite web |last=Saber |first=Indlieb Farazi |title=A ‘cultural genocide’: Which of Gaza’s heritage sites have been destroyed? |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/1/14/a-cultural-genocide-which-of-gazas-heritage-sites-have-been-destroyed |access-date=2024-12-08 |website=Al Jazeera |language=en}} Israeli ground forces demolished numerous residential buildings in the area in 2024.{{Cite web |date=2024-07-26 |title=Israeli forces blow up residential buildings in Khan Yunis |url=https://www.egypttoday.com/Article/1/133732/Israeli-forces-blow-up-residential-buildings-in-Khan-Yunis |access-date=2024-12-08 |website=EgyptToday}}

History

The town was home to the Al Qarara Cultural Museum, but that museum was destroyed by Israeli forces in late 2023 due to the Gaza war.{{Cite web |date=2023-11-20 |title=As part of its genocidal war in Gaza, Israel destroys Palestinians’ cultural heritage |url=https://euromedmonitor.org/en/article/5965/As-part-of-its-genocidal-war-in-Gaza,-Israel-destroys-Palestinians%E2%80%99-cultural-heritage#:~:text=Israeli%20air%20and%20artillery%20attacks,and%20has%20caused%20great%20destruction. |access-date=2023-12-28 |website=Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor |language=en-US}} The Israeli military had also ordered that town to be evacuated due to the war.{{Cite news |last=Kingsley |first=Patrick |last2=Ahmad |first2=Rawan Sheikh |last3=Fuller |first3=Thomas |date=2023-12-02 |title=Israel Orders Evacuations Amid ‘Intense’ Attacks on Southern Gaza |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2023/12/02/world/middleeast/israel-gaza-evacuations-war.html |access-date=2023-12-28 |issn=0362-4331}}

File:Al-Qarara's Pedestrian Bridge.jpg

A pedestrian bridge over Salah Aldin Street for students was completed in the town in September 2023.{{Cite news |date=19 September 2023 |title=Completion of a pedestrian bridge in Gaza’s al Qarara funded by Japan celebrated |work=WAFA |url=https://english.wafa.ps/Pages/Details/137658}} The bridge had been funded by Japan's Grant Assistance for Grassroots Human Security Projects program.

The siege of Al-Qarara began on 6 December 2023, as Israeli forces also targeted several other towns,namely Absan, Al-Nazla, Bani Suheila, and al-Satr.{{Cite web |date=2023-12-06 |title=Latest Updates On Bani Suheila Area In The East Of Khan Yunis (Map) - Islamic World News |url=https://english.iswnews.com/32306/latest-updates-on-bani-suheila-area-in-the-east-of-khan-yunis-map/ |access-date=2024-08-29 |language=en-US}} By 12 December the town was completely surrounded.{{Cite web |date=2023-12-12 |title=The Latest Situation In The South Of The Gaza Strip And Khan Yunis (Map) - Islamic World News |url=https://english.iswnews.com/32364/the-latest-situation-in-the-south-of-the-gaza-strip-and-khan-yunis-map/ |access-date=2024-08-29 |language=en-US}}

References

Category:Towns in the Gaza Strip

Category:Khan Yunis Governorate

Category:Municipalities of Palestine