Tuffah

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Tuffah
التفاح
Neighborhood
At-Tuffah
Tuffah is located in Gaza City
Tuffah
Tuffah
Location in Gaza Strip
Coordinates: 31°30′57.19″N 34°28′9.49″E / 31.5158861°N 34.4693028°E / 31.5158861; 34.4693028
Country Palestine
GovernorateGaza Governorate
CityGaza
Government
 • ControlContested:
Israel
Hamas
Time zoneUTC+2 (EET)
 • Summer (DST)+3

Tuffah (Arabic: التفاح, literally: "the Apple") is one of four quarters of the Old City of Gaza in the State of Palestine,[1] located in the northeast, and is divided into eastern and western halves.[2] Prior to its expansion and the demolition of the Old City's walls, Tuffah was one of the three walled quarters of Gaza, the other two being al-Daraj and Zeitoun.[3] The local pronunciation of the district's name is at-tuffen.[4]

Tuffah has existed since early Mamluk rule in Gaza in the 13th century. The southern part of Tuffah was called "ad-Dabbaghah". According to Ottoman tax records in the late 16th century, it was a small neighborhood containing 57 households. The ad-Dabbaghah neighborhood contained Gaza's slaughterhouse and tanners' facilities during the Ottoman era (1517-1917). The northern subdivision of Tuffah was called "Bani Amir."[4]

The 14th-century Ibn Marwan Mosque is located in the district as is the 13th-century Aybaki Mosque.[5] Home to the British War Cemetery, Tuffah also contains a public library and a number of Palestinian Red Crescent-run schools.[6]

During Gaza war, the neighborhood was subjected to heavy Israeli artillery fire and airstrikes; multiple Palestinian journalists were also killed in strikes that hit the area.[7][8]

On 16 April 2025, photographer Fatima Hassouna ten relatives were killed in an Israeli airstrike. The attack came one day after the announcement that her documentary, Put Your Soul on Your Hand and Walk, had been selected for the Cannes Film Festival.[9][10][11][12][13]

The quarter's residents were subjected to evacuation order by the Israeli military in August 2024.[14] The Israeli strikes hit at least two schools in the neighborhood.[15]

On 16 September 2025, the 13th century Aybaki Mosque and at least 16 of the city’s residential buildings were targeted by Israeli warplanes and destroyed. As the bombs rained down, the Israeli army continued to destroy areas in the north, south and east of the Gaza City with explosive-laden robots. The Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz stated the Palestinian enclave was "burning", while thousands of people fled along the Al-Rashid coastal highway, loading belongings into carts and vans. Israeli media confirmed that the military campaign was part of the strategic plan to displace the entire Palestinian population of Gaza City and subsequently proceed with its permanent occupation. [16]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Butt, 1995, p.9.
  2. ^ Sheehan, 1999, pp. 428-429.
  3. ^ Sharon, Moshe (2009). "Gaza". Corpus Inscriptionum Arabicarum Palaestinae. Vol. 4. Brill Publishers. pp. 28–30. ISBN 978-90-04-17085-8. The old city of Gaza, where all the remnants of the ancient, medieval and early Ottoman city are found, is divided into four quarters, a few of which are subdivided. Three of these quarters (at-Tuffäh, ad-Daraj, and az-Zaytun) were within the walls of the ancient city. The southeastern quarter, as-Saja'iyyah, developed later than the others, mainly outside these walls… The four quarters of the city are as follows: in the northeast (generally, north): Hãrat (or Hayy) at-Tuffäh (the "Apple Quarter")… The Southern part of this quarter is called ad-Dabbäghah (not as-Sabbäghah) the tanners' neighbourhood situated in the area of the slaughter house during the Ottoman period…
  4. ^ a b Sharon, 2009, p. 29
  5. ^ Shahin, p. 438.
  6. ^ Education in Gaza Department of Political Science, McGill University.
  7. ^ "Israeli strikes on Gaza schools kill 15 amid renewed evacuation orders". Al Jazeera. 2024-08-08. Retrieved 2024-12-04.
  8. ^ "Three Palestinian Journalists Killed in 24 Hours - Massacre in Al-Tuffah". Palestine Chronicle. 2024-11-09. Retrieved 2024-12-04.
  9. ^ Hannah Ellis-Petersen (18 April 2025). "'If I die, I want a loud death': Gaza photojournalist killed by Israeli airstrike". The Guardian. Retrieved 19 April 2025.
  10. ^ "Gaza: la Défense civile annonce 11 morts, dont des enfants, dans des frappes israéliennes". AFP. 16 April 2025. Retrieved 21 April 2025.
  11. ^ "Guerre à Gaza : la photojournaliste Fatima Hassouna a été tuée dans un bombardement". Le Nouvel Obs. 17 April 2025. Retrieved 19 April 2025.
  12. ^ Hubert Heyrendt (16 May 2025). "Cannes 2025 : au milieu de l'horreur à Gaza, le sourire de Fatima Hassouna". La Libre Belgique. Retrieved 17 May 2025.
  13. ^ Eman Kamal (19 April 2025). "فاطمة حسونة.. استشهاد وتوثيق لمجازر غزة في عدسة لا تموت" (in Arabic). Al Jazeera. Retrieved 17 May 2025.
  14. ^ "Thousands of Palestinians flee fighting in Gaza City, mediators push for truce deal". France 24. 2024-07-08. Retrieved 2024-12-04.
  15. ^ "At least 15 killed in Israeli airstrikes on 2 schools sheltering displaced Gazans". www.aa.com.tr. 2024-08-08. Retrieved 2024-12-04.
  16. ^ Hass, Amira (2025-09-17). "In Gaza, the So-called 'Evacuation of Civilians' Is a Trail of Bombs and Death". Haaretz. Archived from the original on 2025-09-17. Retrieved 2025-09-17.

Bibliography

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