Al-Qarara Explained

al-Qarara
Translit Lang1:Arabic
Translit Lang1 Type:Arabic
Translit Lang1 Info:القرارة
Translit Lang1 Type1:Latin
Translit Lang1 Info1:al-Qrara (official)
el-Qarara (unofficial)
Type:Municipality type B
Pushpin Map:Palestine Gaza Strip#Palestine
Coordinates:31.3731°N 34.3392°W
Grid Name:Palestine grid
Subdivision Type:State
Subdivision Name:State of Palestine
Subdivision Type1:Governorate
Subdivision Name1:Khan Yunis
Established Title:Founded
Government Type:Municipality
Leader Title:Head of Municipality
Leader Name:Eid al-Abdullah
Unit Pref:dunam
Population Footnotes:[1]
Population Total:29004
Population As Of:2017
Population Density Km2:auto

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, 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.

The town was home to the Al Qarara Cultural Museum, but that museum was destroyed by Israeli forces in late 2023 due to the 2023 Israel–Hamas war.[3] The Israeli military had also ordered that town to be evacuated due to the war.[4]

A pedestrian bridge over Salah Aldin Street for students was completed in the town in September 2023.[5] The bridge had been funded by Japan's Grant Assistance for Grassroots Human Security Projects program.

Notes and References

  1. February 2018 . Preliminary Results of the Population, Housing and Establishments Census, 2017 . Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS) . . 64–82 . 2023-10-24.
  2. News: In Gaza, a museum filled with history ‘picked up’ along the way . Christian Science Monitor . 2023-12-28 . 0882-7729.
  3. Web site: Monitor . Euro-Med Human Rights . As part of its genocidal war in Gaza, Israel destroys Palestinians’ cultural heritage . 2023-12-28 . Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor . en-US.
  4. News: Kingsley . Patrick . Ahmad . Rawan Sheikh . Fuller . Thomas . 2023-12-02 . Israel Orders Evacuations Amid ‘Intense’ Attacks on Southern Gaza . en-US . The New York Times . 2023-12-28 . 0362-4331.
  5. News: 19 September 2023 . Completion of a pedestrian bridge in Gaza’s al Qarara funded by Japan celebrated . WAFA .