Hatta | |
|---|---|
| Etymology: Hatteh[1] | |
.jpg) 1870s map.jpg) 1940s map.jpg) modern map.jpg) 1940s with modern overlay mapA series of historical maps of the area around Hatta, Gaza (click the buttons) | |
  Hatta Location withinMandatory Palestine | |
| Coordinates:31°39′06″N34°44′28″E / 31.65167°N 34.74111°E /31.65167; 34.74111 | |
| Palestine grid | 125/117 |
| Geopolitical entity | Mandatory Palestine |
| Subdistrict | Gaza |
| Date of depopulation | July 17–18, 1948[4] |
| Area | |
• Total | 5,305dunams (5.305 km2; 2.048 sq mi) |
| Population (1945) | |
• Total | 970[2][3] |
| Cause(s) of depopulation | Military assault byYishuv forces |
| Current Localities | Zavdiel,[5]Aluma[5] |
Hatta (Arabic:حتا) was aPalestinian Arab village of 1,125 inhabitants that was depopulated after a July 17, 1948 assault by Israeli forces of theGivati Brigade during the1948 Arab-Israeli war.[6][7] Following the war the area was incorporated into theState of Israel andZavdiel andAluma were established on the land that had belonged to Hatta.
The village was situated in a flat area on the southern coastal plain. It was probably named after the al-Hut tribe, originally fromNajd in central Arabia, who camped near the site at the end of the fifth century A.D.[8]
The Arab geographerYaqut al-Hamawi (d. 1228) referred to the village as Hattawa and said it was the home of the Islamic scholar ´Amru al-Hattawi.[8]
The village's residents came fromEgypt,Transjordan and theHejaz.[9]
Hatta, like the rest ofPalestine, was incorporated into theOttoman Empire in 1517, and in thetax registers of 1596 it appeared under the name ofHatta as-Sajara as being in thenahiya of Gazza, part of theSanjak of Gaza. It had a population of 15 households, allMuslim. The inhabitants paid a fixed tax rate of 25% on wheat, barley, sesame, goats and/or beehives; a total of 5,600akçe.[10]
During the 17th and 18th centuries, the area of Hatta 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.[11]
Edward Robinson passed by the village in 1838, and described its houses as being made ofadobe bricks.[12] It was also noted as a Muslim village in the Gaza district.[13]
In 1863Victor Guérin visited the village, which he estimated to have 600 inhabitants. He noticed that beside the well were four barrels of brokencolumns, three gray-whitemarble, and the fourth of bluish marble. The latter, placed horizontally at the orifice was deeply furrowed by the rope that animals or men had used to raise the water. In aoualy dedicated to Neby Amran he noticed some stones with the same ancient look.Around the village were large plantations of tobacco, here and there also stood several groups of beautiful pine, olive and fig trees.[14]
An Ottoman village list of about 1870 showed that Hatta had 78 houses and a population of 211, though the population count included only men.[15][16]
In 1883 thePEF'sSurvey of Western Palestine (SWP) described the village as being surrounded by gardens, some of which contained a fewtamarisk trees. SWP also wrote that the nameHatteh preserved the name of theHittites.[17]
In the1922 census of Palestine, conducted by theBritish Mandate authorities, Hatta had a population of 570 Muslims,[18] increasing in the1931 census to 646, still all Muslim, in 140 houses.[19]
In the1945 statistics Hatta had a population of 970 Muslims,[2] with 5,305dunams of land, according to an official land and population survey.[3] Of this, 4 dunams were plantations and irrigable land, 5,108 used for cereals,[20] while 45 dunams were built-up land.[21]
Hatta was captured on July 17–18, 1948, duringOperation Death to the Invader, the last operation of the Ten Days period—the period between the two ceasefires of the1948 Arab–Israeli War.[22] Following the war the area was incorporated into theState of Israel and in August 1948 amoshav namedRevaha was slated to be built on the site. However, the plan was not implemented until 1953. Another moshav,Zavdiel was established in 1950 on village land, whileAluma was founded on village land in 1965.[5]Qomemiyyut andRewacha are both close by, but not on village land.[5]
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."[5]
