Khan Yunis
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| Khan Yunis | ||
 Location of Khan Yunis in the Gaza Strip. |
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| Arabic | خان يونس | |
| Name meaning | "Jonah's Inn" | |
| Country | Palestine | |
| Governorate | Khan Yunis | |
| Government | City | |
| Coordinates | 31°20′39.55″N 34°18′11.13″E / 31.3443194°N 34.3030917°ECoordinates: 31°20′39.55″N 34°18′11.13″E / 31.3443194°N 34.3030917°E | |
| Population | 179,900 (2006) | |
| Jurisdiction |
54560 dunams (54.56 km²) |
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| Founded in | 1917 | |
| Head of Municipality | Muhammad Jawad Abd Al-Khaliq Al-Farra | |
| Website | www.khanyounis.mun.ps | |
Khan Yunis (Arabic: خان يونس; literally Jonah's Inn) is a city and adjacent refugee camp in the southern part of the Gaza Strip. According to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics the city, its refugee camp, and its immediate surroundings had a total population of 180,000 in 2006.[1] Although Khan Yunis lies only 4 kilometers from the Mediterranean sea the climate of Khan Yunis is that of semi-arid region with an annual rainfall of approximately 260 mm.
The Constituency of Khan Yunis has five members on the Palestinian Legislative Council. Following the Palestinian legislative election, 2006, there were three Hamas members, including Yunis al-Astal; and two Fatah members, including Mohammed Dahlan.
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[edit] History
Prior to the 14th century, Khan Yunis was a village known as Salqah.[2] After Yunus al-Nûzûri constructed a khan there around 1388, with time, the place was named for him.[2] Yunis Ibn Abdallah an-Nawruzi ad-Dawadar was the executive Secretary, one of the high ranking officials of Sultan Barquq, and the first Circassian Mamluk Sultan. The Khan was built in 789 Hijri/ 1387CE according to the inscription located on its main entrance. The purpose of the Khan was to protect the caravans, pilgrims and travelers. Later it became an important center for trade, the weekly market in the town was on Thursday, and used to attract traders from neighboring regions.[3] It also served as resting stop for couriers of the barid, the Mamluk postal network in Palestine and Syria.
Khan Yunis refugee camp was founded in 1948 initially held 35,000 Palestinian Arabs. The number of refugees and their descendants registered with UNRWA in mid-2002 was 60,662.
In November 3, 1956 , during the Suez War Israel launched an invasion into Egypt; at that time Khan Yunis was controlled by Egypt, during which time it was occupied for the first time and suffered many casualties from aerial bombing. In 1967, during the Six Day War Israel occupied Khan Yunis.
[edit] Second Intifada
Khan Yunis was the site of Israeli helicopter attacks in August 2001 and October 2002. The result of many of the helicopter attacks has left several civilians killed, hundreds wounded and civilian buildings within the vicinity destroyed. It is known as a stronghold of Hamas which is recognised as a terrorist group by many countries.[4]
The northern part of Khan Yunis overlooks the Kissufim junction — formerly one of the main roads for Israeli traffic to Gush Katif settlement. Buildings there had often been used by militants as sniping posts and mortar bases to shoot at Israeli settlements and soldiers.
From Khan Yunis' northern buildings, two Islamic militants killed an Israeli civilian Tali Hatuel on May 2, 2004, forcing her and her four daughters off the road and shooting them at close range. The next week, her memorial service was attacked at the same site. One building was also used as cover for an explosive-laden tunnel, which blew up an Israeli (IDF) occupation outpost on June 27 of that year. After each attack, the Israeli Defence Forces bulldozed some of the structures used by the militants.
On December 16, 2004, the Israel Defence forces raided the town with armoured bulldozers and tanks in order to stop mortar shelling of Israeli towns. In the six weeks before the operation about 80 mortar shells and Qassam rockets had hit the Gush Katif settlement. Khan Yunis have been the target of frequent raids by the Israeli defence forces, and heavy battles have ensued in the area. In 2005, the no legitime country Israel tried to isolate this area ,but they didn't succeed because of Hamas resistance. In 2006 Hamas took power in the Gaza Strip. Since Israel's 2005 Gaza Disengagement, over 2,000 Qassam rockets have been launched from Khan Yunis into Israel, mostly to the Southern Israeli city of Sderot. In January 2009, members of the Shurrab family were murdered by Israeli Defence Force members during a "lull" in fighting in the war in Gaza.
[edit] References
[edit] Bibliography
- Sharon, Moshe (1997), Corpus inscriptionum Arabicarum Palaestinae, (CIAP) (Illustrated ed.), BRILL, ISBN 9004110836, 9789004110830
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
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