A Palestinian coastal area, located southwest of the Gaza Strip, famous for its agricultural lands and fresh groundwater. It has been transformed by the policies of the Israeli occupation from the “food basket of the Gaza Strip” into barren lands and a hotbed of displacement in the Strip.
Location and geography
Al-Mawasi area is located on the Palestinian coastal strip of the Mediterranean Sea, southwest of the Gaza Strip, and is about 28 kilometers from Gaza City. It extends 12 kilometers in length and about one kilometer in width, southeast of the Gaza Valley, from Deir al-Balah in the north, through Khan Yunis Governorate, to Rafah Governorate in the south.
Its total area is estimated at about 12 thousand dunums (a dunum equals a thousand square metres), representing about 3% of the area of the Gaza Strip. The area consists of sand dunes, locally called “Al-Sawafi”, which are white desert sand, interspersed with fertile agricultural depressions rich in water. Subterranean.
Administrative division and infrastructure
Al-Mawasi is divided into two geographically connected areas, one of which belongs to the Khan Yunis Governorate, and is located in the far southwest of the governorate, while the second belongs to the Rafah Governorate, and is located in the far northwest of it.
Most of Al-Mawasi includes agricultural lands or barren sand dunes, while the residential areas therein are limited, as the residential units do not exceed about 100 buildings, and they can barely accommodate the original residents, in addition to the region’s lack of infrastructure, paved streets, sewage networks, electricity lines, communications networks, and the Internet.
Population
The population of the Al-Mawasi area is about 9,000 people, and most of them live by fishing and agriculture, in addition to small commercial projects, such as shops, restaurants, and cafes.
the date
The name “Al-Mawasi” appeared during the period of Ottoman rule, when the Ottoman authorities carved out the western lands of the city of Deir Al-Balah, passing through Khan Yunis and Rafah Governorate, and ending with the border with Egypt. They called it “Al-Mawasi” in reference to what farmers in the region were doing, extracting Water by digging absorption ponds on the surface of the earth, and using them to irrigate cultivated lands.
During the Ottoman rule, Al-Mawasi was inhabited by Palestinian families who owned it by de facto customary law, even though it was not officially registered, which remained the case during the British Mandate period.
Following the Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territories in 1948, the region became part of Egypt, and its importance grew, as it became a center for the Egyptian ruler in the Strip, and an important tourist area.
During the tripartite aggression against Egypt in 1956, the Israeli army occupied the Gaza Strip, including the Al-Mawasi area, then withdrew after 5 months, so that the region was again subject to Egyptian rule.
Israeli occupation
In 1967, the Israeli occupation forces seized Al-Mawasi and allowed the construction of the “Gush Katif” settlement complex in the area and its surroundings. The Palestinians of Al-Mawasi became surrounded by 14 settlements, namely “Tel Qatif”, “Shirat Hayam”, “Kfar Yam”, “Neve Dekalim”, and “Sadistic Environments,” “Shalif,” “Rafih Yam,” “Nitzer Hazani,” “Qatif,” “Jani Tali,” “Jadid,” “Ghani Or,” “Badulj,” and “Atzamona.”
The settlers obtained the largest share of groundwater, as more than 30 wells were drilled, and water was pumped to the settlements and Israeli army camps through pipes that were extended underground. At the same time, the Palestinians’ extraction of groundwater was subject to difficult conditions.
Al-Mawasi was famous for its fertile lands, fresh water, and thriving agriculture, to the point that it was described as “the food basket of the Gaza Strip.” The occupation took advantage of the abundance of water, forcibly seized vast agricultural lands, and worked to intensify agricultural production, a large portion of which was exported to Europe.
Following the “Oslo Accords” in 1993, joint forces from the Palestinian and Israeli sides took over the administration of the area. According to the agreements, the occupation forces assumed security duties in the Al-Mawasi area, while the Palestinian Authority assumed responsibility for the internal system of the Palestinians and civil affairs, which allowed the Palestinian families who live The area is able to practice its work in agriculture.
Al-Aqsa Intifada
During the Al-Aqsa Intifada, which lasted between 2000 and 2005, the occupation forces imposed full control over “Al-Mawasi” and turned it into an isolated area, and the Palestinian residents of the area were subjected to strict measures in moving to and from it, through the “Tal Al-Sultan” checkpoints in Rafah and “Al-Tuffah” checkpoints in Khan Yunis. In some periods, movement between Al-Mawasi and neighboring cities was completely prohibited, which severely affected their daily activities and access to their work areas and farms.
The occupation imposed severe restrictions on the transport of goods from the Al-Mawasi area to Khan Yunis and Rafah, as the percentage at that time did not exceed 10% of the quantity of the product that had been marketed in previous years, in addition to the exposure of agricultural lands to bulldozing operations, which exhausted the living conditions of the farmers.
The occupation authorities tightened their grip on fishing activity and closed the fishermen’s port on the coast of Khan Yunis. More than 800 fishermen lost their source of livelihood and suffered heavy losses.
The educational system was damaged, as the Israeli army obstructed the access of students and teachers to various educational institutions, and prohibited the entry of electronic devices and computers into schools. The health system also suffered from a shortage of medicines and equipment, and health care in the region declined.
For 38 years, the occupation authorities deprived the Al-Mawasi area of development, basic and health services, prevented residents from their legitimate rights, and weakened economic, social and educational activity.
Israeli withdrawal
In 2005, Israel withdrew from the area, and the settlements were dismantled. During the evacuation process, the settlers attacked Al-Mawasi residents and their property, wounded 4 Palestinians with bullets, attacked the only ambulance in the area, smashed its windows, and closed all roads leading to Al-Mawasi.
Before handing over the lands to the Palestinians, the occupation changed the features of the region, by bulldozing many agricultural lands and demolishing many of the wells that farmers used to irrigate their crops. The settlements’ excessive use of groundwater led to a decline in its level and an increase in its salinity, which forced Palestinian farmers to buy fresh water for irrigation. Their crops.
With the conditions of the siege on the Gaza Strip after 2007, and the lack of means of development, the region was unable to regain its health, and suffered from problems of shortage of fresh water, increased salinity of the water, and its contamination with pesticides.
Displacement hotspot
With the escalation of the Israeli aggression against the Gaza Strip, following the “Al-Aqsa Flood” battle that took place on October 7, 2023, Israeli military strikes on all areas of the Strip led to thousands of civilian casualties and tens of thousands of wounded.
Military statements by the occupation forces have been issued since last October 18, calling on the residents of the Gaza Strip to head south towards the open areas west of Khan Yunis, specifically to the “Al-Mawasi” area, which Israel said was a “safe area” to which international aid would be sent when needed.
The displaced began to flow into the area to which they were directed, but upon their arrival they did not find shelter or humanitarian aid, as Al-Mawasi is not considered qualified to receive displaced people, whether in terms of the efficiency of the infrastructure and availability of services, or in terms of the adequacy of residential buildings.
Those arriving to the region were forced to crowd in narrow, barren areas in the open, in conditions that lack the basic conditions for human life, as there is no water, electricity, or toilets available, in addition to humanitarian aid that is not sufficient for the increasing numbers of displaced people.
The United Nations refused to consider Al-Mawasi a safe area, commenting that it lacks basic conditions for security and other basic human needs, and lacks a mechanism to supervise the implementation of a safe area there. It contented itself with building a tent camp for the displaced there.