Al Deira Hotel

{{Short description|Hotel in Gaza, Palestine}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2014}}

{{Infobox hotel

| hotel_name = Al Deira Hotel

| logo =

| logo_width = 100px

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| image = Sea view from Al Deira hotel, Gaza.jpg

| caption = Sea-view from the Al Deira hotel on the Gaza coast

| pushpin_map = Palestine Gaza

| location = Gaza, Palestine

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| coordinates = {{coord|31|31|55|N|34|26|28|E|type:landmark_region:PS|display=inline}}

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| opening_date = 2000

| closing_date = 2024 (destroyed)

| developer =

| architect = Rashid Abdelhamid

| operator =

| owner =

| number_of_rooms = 22

| number_of_suites =

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}}

The Al Deira Hotel ({{langx|ar|فندق الديرة|Funduq ad-Dayra}}) was a beach hotel located in Gaza, Palestine.{{cite news|url=http://www.time.com/time/travel/article/0,31542,1908074,00.html |title=The Gaza Strip's Diamond in the Rough |last=McGirk |first=Tim |date=1 July 2009 |work=Time |accessdate=5 July 2010 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20100712043930/http://www.time.com/time/travel/article/0%2C31542%2C1908074%2C00.html |archivedate=12 July 2010 |url-status=dead }} It was built in 2000 and had 22 rooms which featured high, domed ceilings and views of the Mediterranean. The hotel was regularly used by foreign journalists covering Gaza.[https://www.forbes.com/feeds/afx/2006/03/14/afx2593128.html "Foreigners kidnapped in Gaza, West Bank,"]{{dead link|date=January 2022|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}} 14 March 2006, Forbes.

A boutique hotel built around an inner courtyard, its architecture was said to have an "Ottoman elegance". The style blends traditional Moroccan and Arab architecture with modern design influences. It is built with dark brown sun dried mud bricks, with white arches, vaulted and domed ceilings, and handmade furniture. The architect was Rashid Abdelhamid. It was previously owned by UNDP employee Khaled Abdel Shafi and architect Rashid Abdelhamid. In 2015, new management took over.

The hotel has received a number of very positive reviews in Time magazine, by British journalist Alan Johnston[https://www.theguardian.com/world/2007/nov/17/israel.bbc "Given time, I may feel stronger for what I went through,"] Alan Johnston, 17 November 2007, The Guardian. {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100830080624/http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2007/nov/17/israel.bbc |date=30 August 2010 }} and by Lonely Planet which described the Al Deira as "swish, stylish and tightly run", and "without question the best hotel in town".Lonely Planet Israel and the Palestinian Territories, Michael Kohn, Lonely Planet, 2007, p. 362. In 2010, UN Goodwill Ambassadors Mia Farrow and Mahmoud Kabil visited the hotel.{{cite web|url=http://www.aldeira.ps/en/news_details.php?news_id=53|title=UN Goodwill Ambassadors at Al Deira Hotel|publisher=Aldeira|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20130514214859/http://www.aldeira.ps/en/news_details.php?news_id=53|archivedate=14 May 2013}}

On July 16, 2014, four children were killed by Israeli rockets whilst playing football on the beach just outside Al Deira Hotel.Washington Post,[https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2014/07/16/dispatch-israeli-strike-kills-four-children-at-a-gaza-beach] Israeli strike kills four children on a Gaza beach Staff from the hotel brought wounded to the restaurant. Several foreign journalists were staying at the hotel and witnessed the killings.New York Times. [https://www.nytimes.com/2014/07/17/world/middleeast/gaza-strip-beach-explosion-kills-children.html?_r=0 Boys Drawn to Gaza Beach, and Into Center of Mideast Strife]NBC News. [http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/middle-east-unrest/palestinians-mourn-four-children-killed-gaza-beach-n157536 Palestinians Mourn Four Children Killed on Gaza Beach]Washington Post. [https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2014/07/16/what-happened-when-palestinian-children-were-killed-in-front-of-a-hotel-full-of-journalists/ What happened when Palestinian children were killed in front of a hotel full of journalists]The Guardian. [https://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/jul/16/witness-gaza-shelling-first-hand-account Witness to a shelling: first-hand account of deadly strike on Gaza port]

In January 2024, during the Gaza war, the Al Deira Hotel was bombed and destroyed by Israeli forces.{{Cite news |date=2024-01-11 |title=Destruction of the Palestinian cultural heritage of Gaza – in pictures |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/gallery/2024/jan/11/palestinian-cultural-heritage-gaza-destruction-in-pictures |access-date=2024-04-22 |work=the Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}} Two months later, musician Saint Levant, who is the son of the hotel's architect and former owner, paid homage to the venue in his single "Deira" (featuring MC Abdul), contained in the eponymous debut album Deira released the following June.{{cite news |last1=Aswad |first1=Jem |title=Palestinian-Algerian Rapper Saint Levant Drops ‘Deira’ Single With MC Abdul, Paying Tribute to Gaza |url=https://variety.com/2024/music/news/palestinian-saint-levant-deira-gaza-mc-abdul-paying-1235920925/ |access-date=March 11, 2024 |work=Variety |date=February 23, 2024}}{{cite news |last1=Bain |first1=Katie |title=Saint Levant & Gazan Rapper MC Abdul Celebrate the Culture of Palestine in ‘Deira’ Video |url=https://www.billboard.com/music/music-news/gaza-rapper-mc-abdul-saint-levant-release-music-video-deira-1235614217/ |access-date=March 11, 2024 |work=Billboard |date=February 24, 2024}}