One of the agricultural towns in the city of Khan Yunis, south of the Gaza Strip, was subject to Israeli occupation following the June 1967 war, and the occupation forces surrounded it with a series of settlements and military sites until they withdrew from it in 2005.
During the “Iron Swords” aggression launched by the Israeli occupation against the Gaza Strip in October 2023, the town was subjected to one of the most violent waves of destruction, as the occupation displaced its residents, committed several massacres against them, destroyed their homes and property, and bulldozed vast areas of their agricultural lands and trees.
The town witnessed repeated clashes and battles between the occupation forces and fighters from Palestinian resistance factions, which resulted in the killing and wounding of a number of Israeli soldiers and officers.
the site
The town of Al-Qarara is located north of the city of Khan Yunis in the south of the Gaza Strip. It is one of the most prominent towns of the city known historically. It is bordered to the northwest by the city of Deir Al-Balah, and to the southeast by the towns of Bani Suhaila and New Abasan, while the Mediterranean coast forms its western borders, and it is bordered to the east and northeast by the Green Line.
The town is about 86 meters above sea level, making it the highest location in the Gaza Strip. Salah El-Din Street divides it into two halves.
Space
The land area of Al-Qarara town is estimated at approximately 11,777 dunums (a dunum is equivalent to one thousand square metres).
Climate
The town of Qarara is characterized by a Mediterranean desert climate, similar to the rest of the towns of Khan Yunis, and it serves as a western window to the Negev Desert, which makes it noticeably affected by desert currents at multiple times of the year.
In the winter, cold and dry easterly and southeasterly winds blow over the town, while in the summer the winds are dry northeasterly.
Population and families
The population of the town of Al-Qarara reached about 35 thousand people, according to estimates by the Central Bureau of Statistics in 2024.
The town includes a group of well-known Palestinian families in the region, including Al-Sumairi, Muhanna, Abu Al-Fita, Shehada, Fayyad, Abu Hajjaj, Al-Zar Khashan, Abu Halib, Abu Eid, Al-Amawi, Abu Sabt, Al-Abadla, Abu Lahiya, and Al-Agha.
Label
Al-Qarara was given this name in reference to the fertility of its soil, as the word means stable and firm ground. It also refers to the low meadow and the round bottom in which rainwater collects. Its residents are called Al-Qarariyya.
The town is also known as “Hill 86”, in reference to its height of 86 meters above sea level, making it the highest area in the Gaza Strip. Therefore, during the period of the Egyptian administration of the Gaza Strip, the Egyptian army took the area as its headquarters.
Economy
Agricultural activity forms the backbone of the local economy in Qarara, thanks to the fertility of its agricultural lands. The town is home to a variety of crops, including citrus fruits, vegetables, almonds, grapes, palm trees, pomegranates, and olives.
The location overlooking the Mediterranean coast also contributed to a number of residents becoming professionals in the marine fishing profession. Animal production is also considered an important economic source, as the town’s residents raise rabbits, sheep, goats, chickens and birds to meet the needs of the local market.
the date
The history of the town of Al-Qarara extends back to ancient times, as it was known in the past as “Samiri Al-Saba’”. Its history dates back to the Roman era in Palestine in 63 BC, then it came under Byzantine rule in 324 AD, before the Islamic conquest in the seventh century AD.
The town played a prominent role in resisting the occupiers, as its residents participated in resisting the British Mandate authorities between 1917 and 1948. It gained strategic and military importance during the Nakba of 1948, as its people confronted the Zionist gangs that tried to control the Salah al-Din Road, which divides the town in two.
During the setback of June 1967, Israel occupied the entire town, surrounding it with settlements, including Gush Katif and a number of military sites.
The residents suffered tragic conditions, especially with the presence of the “Kissufim” military site, which served as a gateway for the occupation’s incursion towards the towns of eastern Khan Yunis and the central governorate.
The first village council of Al-Qarara was established in 1983, and it became a municipality in 1997, and in 2005 the first elected municipal council was formed in the town.
Since its establishment, the municipality has worked to provide basic services, plan the city, and create parks, gardens, and sports facilities, in addition to a public library and museum.
During the Al-Aqsa Intifada in 2000, the occupation intensified its arbitrary policies against the town’s residents, which prevented them from practicing their normal lives, and resulted in the killing and injury of hundreds of them.
Al-Qarara remained a strategic confrontation point for the occupation, due to its location along the separation fence in the north and east of the Gaza Strip.
In September 2005, the Israeli occupation withdrew from the town’s lands unilaterally, but it was not spared from subsequent attacks. Residents’ homes were destroyed and their agricultural lands were bulldozed in the repeated wars on the Gaza Strip.
On the other hand, the Palestinian resistance carried out commando operations against the occupation forces stationed on the separation fence east of the town, including the killing of two Israeli soldiers on March 26, 2010, and a clash that resulted in the killing of five Israeli soldiers on July 21, 2014, according to statements by the Al-Qassam Brigades.
On July 21, 2014, the Al-Qassam Brigades announced that its fighters killed 5 Israeli soldiers in a clash with an Israeli foot force east of Al-Qarara.
Al-Aqsa flood
The town was almost completely destroyed during the Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip on October 7, 2023. The occupation displaced all its residents and committed a number of massacres against them.
After the ceasefire was announced in October 2025, large areas of the town remained within the Yellow Line, and were under the control of the occupation forces.
On October 14, 2024, the mayor of Al-Qarara, Bassem Shurrab, declared the town a completely destroyed and disaster-stricken area, and said, “The occupation razed 95% of the town’s buildings, and destroyed the infrastructure, service facilities, and public and private buildings.”
The destruction operations included roads, wells, water networks, lighting and communications, schools, health centres, mosques and public facilities, as well as the bulldozing of entire agricultural lands.
On the other hand, the townspeople recorded historical milestones in their confrontation with the Israeli occupation forces, as dozens of commando operations took place there, which led to the killing and wounding of Israeli officers and soldiers.
One of the most prominent resistance operations in the town was on December 9, 2023, when the Israeli occupation army announced the killing of 4 of its soldiers, including officers, in battles with the factions.
On August 26, 2024, the Al-Qassam Brigades published pictures of an operation targeting an Israeli force that was holed up in one of Al-Qarara’s homes, and the bombing of Ain Nafaq by another force in the same area.
On May 25, 2025, the Al-Qassam Brigades killed and wounded a force of occupation soldiers in a complex operation carried out against them while they were holed up inside a house.
On May 29 of the same year, Al-Qassam fighters lured the occupation soldiers to a booby-trapped tunnel in the town, before detonating it with Israeli force and closing in on it from zero distance.
Highlights
- Kissufim crossing
The town of Qarara is famous for the presence of the Israeli “Kissufim” crossing on its lands. Before 2005, this crossing was intended for the movement of settlers to and from the Gaza Strip. After the Israeli withdrawal, it was closed permanently, and was only opened for the passage of tanks and vehicles to penetrate the Palestinian towns surrounding it.
- Cultural Museum
Al-Qarara Cultural Museum was established in 2016, with the aim of promoting the preservation of the town’s history and identity, and includes a large collection of archaeological and heritage pieces, some of which date back to the Canaanite civilization and the Bronze Age.
The museum was partially destroyed during the Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip in 2023.
One of the most famous archaeological sites in the Gaza Strip, as it was in ancient times one of the central markets, and it has a mosaic floor.
It is the highest area in the Gaza Strip, as it rises 86 meters above sea level. The reason for giving it this name is that it was previously an Egyptian military site, and it witnessed a decisive battle with Zionist gangs in the Nakba War in 1948.