Hatta | |
Hatta
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Arabic | |
District | Gaza |
Coordinates | |
Population | 970 (1945) |
Area | 5,305 dunums |
Date of depopulation | July 17-18, 1948[1] |
Cause(s) of depopulation | Military assault by Yishuv forces |
Current localities | Revaha, Zavdiel, Aluma |
Hatta (Arabic: حتا) was a Palestinian village of 1,125 inhabitants that was depopulated after a July 17, 1948 assault by Israeli forces of the Givati Brigade during the 1948 Arab-Israeli war.[2][3] The Jewish localities of Revaha, Zavdiel and Aluma are currently located on the former village's lands.
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The village was situated in a flat area on the southern coastal plain. It was probably named after the al-Hut tribe, originally from Najd in central Arabia, who camped near the site at the end of the fifth century A.D.[4]
The Arab geographer Yaqut al-Hamawi (d. 1228) referred to the village as Hattawa and said it was the home of the Islamic scholar ´Amru al-Hattawi.[4]
The scholar Edward Robinson passed the by village in 1838, and described its houses as being made of adobe bricks.[5]
In the late nineteenth century, the village of Hatta was described as being surrounded by gardens, some of which contained a few tamarisk trees.[6]
Hatta was captured on July 17–18, 1948, during Operation Death to the Invader, the last operation of the Ten Days period—the period between the two ceasefires of the 1948 Arab–Israeli War.[7]
In August 1948 the Israeli settlement Revaha was slated to be built on the site, however, the plan was not implemented until 1953. The settlement of Zavdiel was established in 1950 on village land, while Aluma was founded on village land in 1965.[8]
Walid Khalidi described the village site in 1992: "A small portion of the site is covered by a forest, planted by Israelis. The debris of houses are scattered under the trees. Sycamore trees and cactuses also grow on the site. The surrounding lands are cultivated. The British built military airport is still in use."[8]
and some intellectuals in village hatta Mohammed Abdul Qadir Tawfik Lafi (AL- Tweisi)..