al-Hamra

The village was situated on a hill overlooking the Bisan Valley to the east, the Yabla Valley to the north, and the lands of the city of Bisan to the south. The village, which relied on Bisan for administrative and commercial services, was named after the Ottoman Sultan Abdul Hamid II (1876–1909). A secondary road approximately two kilometers long connected it to the main road leading to Bisan, and other roads linked it to four neighboring villages. Its layout was rectangular, interspersed with narrow alleys forming an interconnected network.

The houses were built of brick, and during its slow expansion in the first half of the 20th century, new houses were constructed with cement along the roads leading to the neighboring villages. The village was classified as a farm in the Geographical Index of Palestine. In the northeastern part of the village stood the shrine of Khalid, a local Muslim saint. The inhabitants, all Muslims, primarily engaged in agriculture. Various grains and vegetables were cultivated on its lands. In 1944-1945, a total of 164 dunams were allocated for citrus fruits and bananas, 4,395 dunams for grains, and 8 dunams irrigated or used for orchards.

Occupation of the Village and Ethnic Cleansing

The Golani Brigade succeeded in capturing the city of Bisan and “cleansing” most of the Bisan Valley of its inhabitants during a campaign that began in the first half of May 1948. Al-Humidiya was one of the few villages that remained. According to Israeli historian Benny Morris, its inhabitants left on May 12 as a result of the displacement of Bisan’s residents and pressure from the Haganah. However, Morris does not specify which Zionist faction requested permission from Israeli authorities to demolish the village and three others in the area, nor is it clear from his account whether permission was granted or when the village was destroyed.

The Village Today

Except for the ruins of houses (which have turned into piles of cement rubble), a cemetery, and some archaeological remains, the site is now covered with thorns. The surrounding lands are used by Israelis for agriculture and livestock grazing.

Zionist Settlements on Village Lands

The settlement of Hermonim, established in 1942, lies two kilometers south of the village site near its lands but not on them. This settlement was renamed Hamadiya (199214) in 1952 to correspond to the Arabic name Al-Humidiya.