al-Khisas خربة الخِصاص Khirbat al-Khiṣāṣ | |
|---|---|
Village | |
| Etymology: the ruin of booths or reed huts[1] | |
.jpg) 1870s map.jpg) 1940s map.jpg) modern map.jpg) 1940s with modern overlay mapA series of historical maps of the area around Al-Khisas, Gaza (click the buttons) | |
  al-Khisas Location withinMandatory Palestine | |
| Coordinates:31°38′53″N34°33′40″E / 31.64806°N 34.56111°E /31.64806; 34.56111 | |
| Palestine grid | 108/117 |
| Geopolitical entity | Mandatory Palestine |
| Subdistrict | Gaza |
| Date of depopulation | November 4–5, 1948[4] |
| Area | |
• Total | 6,269dunams (6.269 km2; 2.420 sq mi) |
| Population (1945) | |
• Total | 150[2][3] |
| Cause(s) of depopulation | Military assault byYishuv forces |
| Current Localities | Ashkelon[5] |
Al-Khisas (Arabic:خربة الخِصاص,Khirbat al-Khiṣāṣ) was aPalestinian Arab village inPalestine, located 18.5 kilometers (11.5 mi) northeast ofGaza near the modern city ofAshkelon.[6]
Al-Khisas was located just west ofNi'ilya, south ofAl-Jura.
Al-Khisas, called Khisas, was inhabited in the15th century.Mamluk records show that in 1459 CE it wasendowed was a waqf.[7]
In 1838, in thelateOttoman era,el Khusas was noted as a place "in ruins or deserted", located in the Gaza district.[8]
An officialOttoman village list from about 1870 showed thatChasas had 6 houses and a population of 35, though the population count included men, only.[9][10]
In 1883, thePEF'sSurvey of Western Palestine found atKhurbet el Khesas "a few heaps of stones with awell near".[11]
The modern village was classified as ahamlet in thePalestine Index Gazetter, and was built afterWorld War I.[5] Farmers from neighboring areas first built temporary huts at the site to shelter themselves during the harvest, gradually they settled and builtadobe houses.[5] The population relied on neighboring villagesAl-Jura andNi'ilya for medical, educational and administrative services.[5]
In the1922 census of Palestine, conducted by theBritish Mandate authorities,Khesas had a population of 102 inhabitants, allMuslims,[12] increasing in the1931 census to 133, still all Muslims, in 26 houses.[13]
In the1945 statistics, Al-Khisas had a population of 150 Muslims[2] with a total of 6,269dunams of land, according to an official land and population survey.[14] Of this, 191dunums of village land were used forcitrus andbananas, 419 forcereal farming, 2,671 irrigated or used for orchards,[15] while 10 dunams were built-up land.[16]
The village was depopulated during the1948 Arab-Israeli War between November 4–5, 1948, at the end ofOperation Yo'av.[5] The Israeli army found about 150 people in Al-Khisas and nearbyNi'ilya; they were all expelled toBeit Hanoun on the Gaza strip.[17]
In 1992 the village site was described as being "engulfed by the Israeli town ofAshkelon".[5]
