al-Sawafir al-Shamaliyya
March 3, 2024
Simsim
March 3, 2024Al-Sawafir al-Sharqiyya (al-Sawafir East) was located in the coastal plain, directly east, just south of the main road leading to al-Majdal and Gaza to the southwest, and to Ramla and Jerusalem to the northeast. The two neighboring villages, al-Sawafir West and al-Sawafir North, form a triangle extending west to east.
In 1596, al-Sawafir al-Sharqiyya was a village in the nahiya (subdistrict) of Gaza, part of the Gaza district. It paid taxes on vineyards and other agricultural products, including wheat, barley, fruits, and cotton.
By the late 19th century, the village was inhabited by Muslims. It had gardens, and its houses were constructed primarily of mud bricks, with some built of stone. The village had a mosque and shared a school with al-Sawafir West and North villages. By the mid-1940s, the school had approximately 280 students.
Rainfed agriculture formed the backbone of the local economy. Crops included grains, citrus fruits, grapes, and apricots. According to 1944–1945 statistics: 930 dunums were used for citrus and bananas, 11,821 dunums for grains, and 386 dunums were irrigated or used for orchards.
Occupation and Ethnic Cleansing of the Village
Units of the Giv’ati Brigade occupied the village during the second phase of Operation Barak, according to two separate Israeli sources. Israeli historian Benny Morris states that the operation began in May 1948, and that the village was captured on 18 May. By that time, most of the residents had fled, although some were likely forcibly expelled.
However, an Egyptian account offers a significantly different version. According to the memoirs of the late Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser, the village was captured around 25 June, approximately two weeks after the first truce began. In his account, Nasser criticized Egyptian military leadership for allowing Israeli forces to take control of this strategic location during a declared ceasefire. Orders were later issued to Egypt’s Sixth Battalion, which Nasser served in, to recapture the village after the truce, around 9 July. However, this effort failed due to the unsuccessful Sudanese attempt to seize the nearby village of Bayt Daras.
During that period, Nasser, then a staff officer, conducted a reconnaissance mission along with two officers and two sergeants, spending half a day behind enemy lines to survey al-Sawafir al-Sharqiyya and its sister village al-Sawafir al-Gharbiyya. As anticipated, enemy presence in the two villages was light. However, the information gathered was ultimately not utilized, as Egyptian forces were stalled at Bayt Daras.
The Israeli military narrative holds that the Egyptian-Sudanese plan aimed to capture Bayt Daras as a first step toward advancing toward al-Sawafir al-Sharqiyya. Arab forces reportedly attempted to seize the village in early July, but failed. Another Arab plan to retake the village was aborted during its initial stages and in the days that followed.
The Village Today
None of the original village homes remained. New buildings now occupy the location where the village mosque once stood. Some remnants of the former village can still be observed in the surrounding farmland, including: A structure housing a water pump in the orchard of the al-Sawafir family (Isma’il al-Sawafir), An ancient sycamore tree in the orchard of the al-Behisi family, and An old cypress tree in a nearby open field.
Zionist Settlements on Village Lands
Due to changes in names and boundaries, it is difficult to precisely identify which settlements correspond to which of the three al-Sawafir villages. However, it is clear that four Israeli settlements were established on lands traditionally belonging to al-Sawafir al-Sharqiyya: Ein Tzurim, established in 1949, Zerahya, established in 1950, and Nir Banim, established in 1954, located to the east of the former village site.
