al-Jiyya الجية al-Jeya, al-Jiya, Ed-Deir, Ejjeh | |
|---|---|
Village | |
| Etymology: "water collector"[1][2] | |
.jpg) 1870s map.jpg) 1940s map.jpg) modern map.jpg) 1940s with modern overlay mapA series of historical maps of the area around Al-Jiyya (click the buttons) | |
  al-Jiyya Location withinMandatory Palestine | |
| Coordinates:31°37′46″N34°35′53″E / 31.62944°N 34.59806°E /31.62944; 34.59806 | |
| Palestine grid | 111/115 |
| Geopolitical entity | Mandatory Palestine |
| Subdistrict | Gaza |
| Date of depopulation | November 4–5, 1948[5] |
| Area | |
• Total | 8.5 km2 (3.3 sq mi) |
| Population (1945) | |
• Total | 1,230[3][4] |
| Cause(s) of depopulation | Military assault byYishuv forces |
| Current Localities | Beit Shikma,[6]Ge'a[7][8] |
al-Jiyya (Arabic:الجية, alsotransliteratedAlgie) was aPalestinian village that wasdepopulated during the1948 Arab-Israeli War. It was located 19 kilometers northeast ofGaza City and had a population of 1,230, according to a1945 survey.[3] The village was occupied byIsrael'sGiv'ati Brigade on 4 November 1948 duringOperation Yoav.
The village was situated on a sandy spot, surrounded by hills, on thesouthern coastal plain. Severalwadis descended around it and it was periodically subjected to flooding. This, perhaps, explains its name, which means "water collector" inArabic.[1][9] The village has been identified with a town referred to in theCrusader records as "Algie".[1]
Among the archaeological remains found in al-Jiyya were a stone column and the remains of aRoman mill.[1]
During the17th and18th centuries, the area of al-Jiya experienced a significant process of settlement decline due tonomadic pressures on local communities. The residents of abandoned villages moved to surviving settlements, but the land continued to be cultivated by neighboring villages.[10] The villagers reported that their village had been ruined at one point and then rebuilt byMuhammed Aby Nabbut, the governor ofJaffa and Gaza between 1807 and 1818.[1]
In 1838,Edward Robinson noted it under the name ofEljieh; located in the Gaza district.[11]
In 1863 the French explorerVictor Guérin called the villageEd-Deir, and he estimated it had three hundred and fifty inhabitants. Near the wells he saw several parts ofcolumns and oneCorinthiancapital, all made of gray-whitemarble. He further noted sycamores, pines and acacias mimosas, at intervals, in the middle of tobacco plantations.[12] In 1883, thePEF'sSurvey of Western Palestine called itEjjeh, and described it as "a moderate-sizedmud village, with a pool to the north. On the east is aSebil, or drinking-fountain. Beside the road to the west are olive groves."[13]
In the1922 census of Palestine, conducted by theBritish Mandate authorities, Jiya had a population of 776 inhabitants, allMuslims,[14] increasing in the1931 census to 889, still all Muslims, in 188 houses.[15]
Al-Jiyya's population had its ownmosque. The children attended school in the neighboring village ofBarbara. The villagers installed a pump on one of the wells in the area to draw water for domestic use.[16] The villagers worked primarily in agriculture, planting various types of grain, especially corn. Al-Jiyya was known for its cheese and dairy products, which were sold in Gaza and inMajdal.[17]
In the1945 statisticsEl Jiya had a population of 1,230, all Muslims,[3] with a total of 8,506dunams of land, according to an official land and population survey.[4] Of this, a total of 189 dunums was used for citrus and bananas, while 8,004 dunumus were allocated to cereals and 26 dunums were irrigated or used for orchards,[1][18] while 45 dunams were built-up land.[19]
The village was captured byIsrael'sGiv'ati Brigade on 4 November 1948 duringOperation Yoav. At the end of November 1948, Coastal Plain District troops carried out sweeps of the villages around and to the south ofMajdal. Al-Jiyya was one of the villages named in the orders to theIDF battalions and engineers platoon, that the villagers were to be expelled to Gaza, and the IDF troops were "to prevent their return by destroying their villages". The path leading to the village was to be mined. The IDF troops were ordered to carry out the operation "with determination, accuracy and energy".[20] The operation took place on 30 November. The troops found "about 40" villagers inBarbara and al-Jiyya, "composed of women, old men and children", who offered no resistance. They were expelled toBeit Hanun, in the northern Gaza strip. Eight young men who were found were sent to aPOW camp.[21]
Following the war the area was incorporated into theState of Israel. Palestinian historianWalid Khalidi stated in 1992 that there were no traces of the village remaining and that the residents ofmoshav Beit Shikma had plantedcantaloupes on the land.[1]
