Al-Qarara or Al Qarara (Arabic: 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,[1] The town is 15 miles south of Gaza City, and used to be a farming village.[2] It lies on trade routes dating back to the Bronze Age.[2]

The town was a site of a displacement camp during the Israel-Hamas War.[3] The IDF bombed the Al-Qarara Museum in the area In October 2023, which houses Canaanite and Roman-era artifacts from the region.[4] Israeli ground forces demolished numerous residential buildings in the area in 2024.[5]

History

The town was home to the Al Qarara Cultural Museum,[2] but that museum was destroyed by Israeli forces in late 2023 due to the 2023 Israel–Hamas war.[6] The Israeli military had also ordered that town to be evacuated due to the war.[7]

This photo depicts Al-Qarara's pedestrian bridge over Salah Aldin Street. On the left side of the photo, an UNRWA school. On the street, a donkey cart which became the main mean of transportation in Gaza after October 7th

A pedestrian bridge over Salah Aldin Street for students was completed in the town in September 2023.[8] The bridge had been funded by Japan's Grant Assistance for Grassroots Human Security Projects program.[8]

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.[9] By 12 December the town was completely surrounded.[10]

References


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