Karatiyya

The village was located on a flat patch of land in the coastal area, and the Mufrad Valley, which descends from Fallujah to the east, crosses the southern and western sides of the village. It is located 29 kilometers from Gaza and has an average elevation of 100 meters above sea level. In 1945, the population of the village reached 1,370 people. The village depended on the neighboring town of Fallujah to meet most of its medical, commercial, and administrative needs. Rainfed agriculture was the mainstay of the villagers’ economy. The village had a grain mill, and the village also included some ruins dating back to the Mamluk and Crusader eras.

Displacement
On the night of July 17-18, 1948, just before the second truce came into effect, units from the Third Battalion of the Givati ​​Brigade and the Ninth Commando Battalion of the Armored Brigade entered the village and occupied it. At seven o’clock in the evening of the same day, the second truce came into effect.

Colonization
There are three Israeli colonies on the village lands: Kommiut, which was established in 1950; Rafah, which was established in 1953 near the village site; and Nahora, which was established in 1956 on part of the village lands and on another part of the Faluja lands.

The village today
Rubble is spread across the site and a ruined cemetery can be seen, partially hidden among the eucalyptus trees. An agricultural road passes through the site, while the Israelis grow grain and alfalfa on the site and in the surrounding lands.

Reference: Walid Khalidi, Lest We Forget, pp. 568, 569.