Zaytun Quarter
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Al-Zaytun (also spelled Zeitoun or Harat az-Zaytoun; ; Arabic translation: "the Quarter of Olive trees") is the southwestern and largest quarter of the Old City of Gaza. Prior to the demolition of the Old City's walls, it was one of the three walled quarters of Gaza's Old City, the other two being al-Tuffah in the northeast and al-Daraj in the northwest. Omar Mukhtar Street, Gaza City's main thoroughfare, separates al-Zaytun from al-Daraj.Sharon, 2009, p
30
/ref>


History

The northwestern part of al-Zaytun was known as "Dar al-Khudar" ("the Vegetable House"), which was a small subdivision that contained the open-air vegetable market known as "Suq al-Khudar". In 1525, Dar al-Khudar contained 43 households,Sharon, 2009, p
29
/ref> while Zaytun, the south eastern part of present Al-Zaytun, had 54 households and 30 bachelors,Cohen and Lewis, 1978, p. 117 and Nasara, close to the Church of Saint Porphyrius, had 82 households.Cohen and Lewis, 1978, p. 119 The
Christian A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...
and
Jew Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, religion, and community are highly inte ...
ish neighborhoods of Gaza were also a part of al-Zaytun. The 5th century Saint Porphryrius Church, belonging to the
Greek Orthodox Greek Orthodox Church (, , ) is a term that can refer to any one of three classes of Christian Churches, each associated in some way with Greek Christianity, Levantine Arabic-speaking Christians or more broadly the rite used in the Eastern Rom ...
denomination, is located in al-Zaytun and stands alongside the 14th century Kateb al-Welaya Mosque, with only two meters of space in between the former's bell tower and the latter's
minaret A minaret is a type of tower typically built into or adjacent to mosques. Minarets are generally used to project the Muslim call to prayer (''adhan'') from a muezzin, but they also served as landmarks and symbols of Islam's presence. They can h ...
. Adjacent to the church is the old Christian graveyard. Also located in al-Zaytun is the al-Shamah Mosque. The last Jewish residents of al-Zaytun were evacuated by the British army following the 1929 Palestine riots. It was expanded in the 1930s and 1940s as Gaza developed outside its center. Much of the funding for the initial construction is attributed to foreign institutions, such as missionary hospitals. After the
1948 Arab-Israeli War Events January * January 1 ** The General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) is inaugurated. ** The current Constitutions of Constitution of Italy, Italy and of Constitution of New Jersey, New Jersey (both later subject to amendment) ...
, with the influx of
Palestinian refugee Palestinian refugees are citizens of Mandatory Palestine, and their descendants, who fled or were expelled from their country, village or house over the course of the 1948 Palestine war and during the 1967 Six-Day War. Most Palestinian refug ...
s, Zeitoun's population swelled. Ahmed Yassin's family settled the district in the 1950s.


2008-2009 Gaza War

During the 2008–2009 Israel–Gaza conflict, the
Israel Defense Forces The Israel Defense Forces (IDF; , ), alternatively referred to by the Hebrew-language acronym (), is the national military of the State of Israel. It consists of three service branches: the Israeli Ground Forces, the Israeli Air Force, and ...
(IDF) launched a ground incursion in the area, occupying the district. During this period, 48 Palestinians, mostly from three families, were killed. In addition, 27 homes, a number of farms, and a mosque were destroyed.


Gaza war (2023–)

The Zeitoun neighborhood of Gaza City became a focal point of attack by the IDF during the
Gaza war The Gaza war is an armed conflict in the Gaza Strip and southern Israel fought since 7 October 2023. A part of the unresolved Israeli–Palestinian conflict, Israeli–Palestinian and Gaza–Israel conflict, Gaza–Israel conflicts dating ...
. On October 19, 2023, the Israeli Air Force
struck Struck is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: *Adolf Struck Adolf Hermann Struck (1877–1911) was a German sightseer and writer. He is known for his Travel literature, travelogue ''Makedonische Fahrten'' and for surveying the ...
the neighborhood's historic Church of Saint Porphyrius, killing 19 civilians. In 2024, the 749 Battalion was deployed to southern Gaza City, including Zeitoun, as part of a broader campaign involving demolition and population displacement. Reports indicated that the area experienced widespread destruction as part of the IDF’s ongoing efforts in the region. A video shared by a member of the IDF’s D9 bulldozer company documented the demolition of several homes in Zeitoun. The video, later reposted on the company’s official social media account, included the caption, “Our job is to flatten Gaza.” Additional commentary on the post affirmed the company’s determination, stating, “No one will stop us.” The footage, along with other footage from the Zeitoun neighborhood, drew criticism from international observers including
Amnesty Amnesty () is defined as "A pardon extended by the government to a group or class of people, usually for a political offense; the act of a sovereign power officially forgiving certain classes of people who are subject to trial but have not yet be ...
for their impact on civilian infrastructure and population centers. The neighborhood's partially destroyed Church of Saint Porphyrius was threatened by a renewed Israeli incursion in May 2024. In September 2024, amid the Israeli military's seventh incursion in the neighborhood, Israeli warplanes struck a school-turned-shelter in the neighborhood, killing more than a dozen people.


References


Bibliography

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External links

*Survey of Western Palestine, Map 19
IAAWikimedia commons
{{DEFAULTSORT:Zaytun Neighborhoods of Gaza City Populated places established in the 1930s