Incorporated into theOttoman Empire in 1517 with all ofPalestine, Bayt 'Affa appeared in the 1596tax registers as being in theNahiya of Gaza, part ofGaza Sanjak. It had a population of 26Muslim households,[7] an estimated 143 inhabitants,[5] who paid taxes on wheat, barley, vine yards and fruit trees.[5] 1/24 th of the revenue went to awaqf.[7]
In 1838Edward Robinson noted it asBeit 'Affa, a Muslim village in the Gaza district.[8][9]
In 1863,Victor Guérin found it to be a village of 400 inhabitants, surrounded by tobacco and cucumber fields,[10] while anOttoman village list of about 1870 indicated 37 houses and a population of 90, though the population count included men, only.[11][12]
In the1945 statistics, there were 700 Muslims,[2] with 5,808dunams of land, according to an official land and population survey.[3] Of this, 14 dunams were used for plantations and irrigable land, 5,657 used for cereals,[16] while 26 dunams were built-up land.[17]
Bayt 'Affa 1945 1:250,000Bayt 'Affa 1930 1:20,000
1948 and aftermath
The population probably left their homes following the capture of the village by the Israeli army around 9 July 1948. The Egyptian army drove the Israelis out a few days later and the village was not re-taken untilOperation Yoav in the second half of October. The village was destroyed.[5] Following the war the area was incorporated into theState of Israel.
In 1992 the village site was described: "There are no traces of village houses; only sycamore and carob trees and cactuses mark the site. Fruit trees, especially citrus, are planted on the surrounding land and are irrigated from theJordan River diversion canal."[5]
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1870s map.jpg)
1940s map.jpg)
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1940s with modern overlay map
