Qazaza () was a Palestinian village in the Ramle Subdistrict of Mandatory Palestine, located south of Ramla. It was depopulated in 1948.
History In 1838, in the Ottoman era, el Kuzazeh was noted as Muslim village, in the Er-Ramleh district.Robinson and Smith, 1841, vol 3, Appendix 2, p. 120
A European traveler reported that he passed Qazaza in the 1860s on his way to examine a nearby tell.Mansell, 1862, p.506. Cited in Khalidi, 1992, p. 405
Socin found from an official Ottoman village list from about 1870 that Kezaze had a population of 133, in 89 houses, though the population count included men only. It was also noted that it was located two hours southeast of Shahma.Socin, 1879, p. 156 Hartmann found that Kezaze had 85 houses.Hartmann, 1883, p. 140
In 1882, the PEF's Survey of Western Palestine (SWP) described Kerazeh as "a small village of adobe and stone at the edge of the hills, with gardens and a well."Conder and Kitchener, 1882, SWP II, p. 408
British Mandate era In the 1922 census of Palestine, conducted by the British Mandate authorities, Qezazeh had a population of 472 Muslims,Barron, 1923, Table VII, Sub-district of Ramleh, p. 21 increasing in the 1931 census to 649, still all Muslims, in a total of 150 residential houses.Mills, 1932, p. 22
The villagers maintained a village mosque and some owned shops. An elementary school was first established in Qazaza in 1922. In 1945 Qazaza joined with the villagers of Sajad and Jilya and established a common school for all the three villages. This school had 127 students at the time of its founding in 1945.Khalidi, 1992, p. 405
The villagers cultivated grain, vegetables and fruits.
In the 1945 statistics the population was 940, all Muslims,Department of Statistics, 1945, p. 30 while the total land area was 18,829 dunams, according to an official land and population survey.Government of Palestine, Department of Statistics. Village Statistics, April, 1945. Quoted in Hadawi, 1970, p. 68 Of this, a total of 11,757 dunums were allocated to cereals, while 131 dunums were irrigated or used for orchards,Government of Palestine, Department of Statistics. Village Statistics, April, 1945. Quoted in Hadawi, 1970, p. 116. while 38 dunams were classified as built-up urban areas.Government of Palestine, Department of Statistics. Village Statistics, April, 1945. Quoted in Hadawi, 1970, p. 166
1948 war and aftermath During the countdown to the 1948 Arab–Israeli War, the Haganah was ordered to demolish Arab houses in so-called "retaliatory measures". In this connection, Haganah units partially destroyed the home of the mukhtar of Qazaza, Abdullah Abu Sabah, on the 19 December 1947, in response to the killing of a Jew.Morris, 2004, p. 343 Two Arabs were killed during this operation.Morris, 2004, pp. 125-126
On 16 July 1948, Givati HQ informed General Staff\Operations that "our forces have entered the villages of Qazaza, Kheima, Jilya, Idnibba, Mughallis, expelled the inhabitants, [and] blown up and torched a number of houses. The area is at the moment clear of Arabs".Givati HQ to General Staff\Operations, 20:50 hours, 16 July 1948, IDFA 922\75\\1176. See also Givati Brigade, "Combat Page", 16 July 1948, IDFA 6127\49\\118. Cited in Morris, 2004, p. 437
Many of Qazaza's former inhabitants fled to Hebron, forming part of the 1948 Palestinian expulsion and flight.
Today, the village lands are used by the Israel Defense Forces. As a closed military zone, it is not known what became of Qazaza's mosque, its elementary school (which had served the villages of Sajad and Jilya as well) or its more than 150 homes.
See also Depopulated Palestinian locations in Israel Palestine Railways Jaffa–Jerusalem railway
References
Bibliography
Mansell, A. L. (1863): "A Surveying Trip through the Holy Land." The Nautical Magazine and Naval Chronicle. January Issue:36-40. Cited in Khalidi, 1992.
External links Welcome to Qazaza Qazaza, Zochrot Survey of Western Palestine, Map 16: IAA , Wikimedia commons Qazaza at Khalil Sakakini Cultural Center