From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Sheikh Radwan (Arabic: حي الشيخ رضوان) is a district[1] of Gaza
City located nearly 3 kilometers (2 mi) northwest of
the city center. It borders al-Shati camp to the
southwest, Rimal to the south,
and Jabalia to the east. The
Sheikh Radwan Cemetery is located in the district. It contains
hundreds of graves for Palestinians killed in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict,[2]
including Hamas leaders Ahmed Yassin, Abdel
Aziz al-Rantissi, and Said Siam.[3]
History
The district is named after Sheikh Radwan whose tomb is situated
on a hilltop in the district with an elevation of 65 meters
(213 ft) above sea level. Its walls are constructed from
ancient building stones and fragments of marble slabs in secondary
use. In the 19th century, it was surrounded by ancient trees. It
has been identified by Christian scholars as the Monastery of Peter the
Iberian.[4]
Modern
era
In 1971, the Israeli
government attempted to disperse the concentration of Palestinian
refugees as part of an Israeli authority policy of counter
insurgency and military repression of the Palestinian refugees.
[5] The
plan was part of 9 relocation schemes within the Gaza Strip, parts of
nearby al-Shati camp were bulldozed and a housing
project in Sheikh Radwan was initiated.[6][7][8]
Initially, refugee migration to Sheikh Radwan was involuntary since
Israeli authorities demolished over 2,000 shelters in the camps to
widen the roads for "security reasons" and denied permits for the
residents to rebuild their houses. [9] About
8,000 refugees moved into the housing projects of Sheikh
Radwan.[10] The United Nations Relief and Works Agency and
the Palestine Liberation
Organization were vociferous in their opposition to the Israeli
action, saying it was forced resettlement. After the start of the
First
Intifada, Sheikh Radwan was the most consistently active areas
in Gaza.[7]
On October 3, 2005, armed members of Hamas assaulted the Palestinian
police station in Sheikh Radwan which ended in the death of
Hayam Mohammed Nassar, 30, as she stood on the patio of an adjacent
balcony.[11]
Members of the Fatah controlled
al-Aqsa
Martyrs Brigades arrived to defend the police station, and the
Hamas militiamen consequently withdrew.[12] Since
the take-over of the Gaza Strip by
Hamas in 2007, Sheikh Radwan has been considered a stronghold for
the organization. On May 17, 2007, Israel targeted a senior Hamas
member in the district, killing, instead a militant and injuring
eight others.[13]
During the 2008–2009 Israel–Gaza conflict, an Israeli
airstrike against a house in Sheikh Radwan left three civilians
dead and 25 injured.[14] The
cemetery was closed down during the conflict due to the lack of
vacant burial places,[15] and
thirty graves were destroyed after an Israeli missile struck the
cemetry.[16] [17]
References
- ^
Butt, 1995, p.9.
- ^
Jadallah, Ahmed. Sheikh Radwan Cemetery
Reuters.
- ^
Haniyeh: World must back
Goldstone's Gaza report. Ma'an News Agency.
2009-09-20.
- ^
Bitton-Ashkelony and Kofsky, 2004, p.75.
- ^
Helena Lindholm Schulz and Juliane Hammer (2003) The Palestinian
diaspora: formation of identities and politics of homeland
Routledge, ISBN 0415268214 p 71
- ^
Boqai, Nihad. Badil Resource Center for Palestinian Residency &
Refugee Rights and Terry Rempel (2003) Survey of Palestinian
Refugees and Internally Displaced Persons Badil Resource Center for
Palestinian Residency and Refugee Rights, p.46
- ^ a
b
Karmi and Cotran, 1999, p.33.
- ^
Ginat and Perkins, 2001, pp.183-185.
- ^
Jamal Raji Nassar and Roger Heacock (1990) p 104
- ^
Beach Camp United Nations Relief and Works
Agency.
- ^
B'Tselem Casualty
Statistics Palestinians killed by Palestinians
- ^
Violent Clashes in Gaza
Electronic Intifada. Palestinian Center for Human Rights.
2005-10-03.
- ^
Barzak, Ibrahim. Israeli Airstrikes Target
Hamas Associated Press.
2007-05-17.
- ^
Airstrike in Sheikh Radwan
kills three, injures 25 Ma'an News Agency. 2009-01-15
- ^
Gazans running out of room to
bury the dead MSNBC. 2009-01-13.
- ^
Proposal emerges for 10-day
cease-fire in Gaza USA Today. 2009-01-14.
- ^
McCarthy, Rory and Boseley, Sarah. Israeli human rights groups
speak out as death toll passes 1,000. The Guardian.
2009-01-15.
Bibliography
- Bitton-Askeloni, Bruria; Kofsky,
Arieh (2004). Christian Gaza In Late
Antiquity. BRILL. http://books.google.com/books?id=lA9VwVwoyiAC.
- Butt, Gerald (1995). Life at the crossroads: a
history of Gaza. Rimal Publications. ISBN 1900269031. http://books.google.com/books?id=WnttAAAAMAAJ&q=Butt+Radwan+Daraj&dq=Butt+Radwan+Daraj&ei=JP22SancD5vukQSPlJD9Bg&pgis=1.
- Karmi, Ghada; Cotran, Eugene
(1999). The Palestinian exodus,
1948-1998. Garnet & Ithaca Press. ISBN 086372244X. http://books.google.com/books?id=TZ4Fv2xMJKMC&pg=PA33&lpg=PA33&dq=Sheikh+Radwan&source=bl&ots=2Kh-0Oeii1&sig=HhRFN3JqtKr0ALasGMsO55L2EdU&hl=en&ei=jO62Sd-vNYvltge5tPy9CQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum=8&ct=result#PPA33,M1.
- Ginat, J; Perkins, Edward Joseph
(2001). The Palestinian Refugees: Old Problems-New
Solutions. University of Oklahoma Press. ISBN
0806133937.
- Nassar, Jamal Raji; Heacock, Roger
(1990). Intifada: Palestine at the crossroads. Greenwood
Publishing Group. ISBN
027593411X.
Coordinates: 31°32′9.59″N 34°27′55.75″E / 31.5359972°N
34.4654861°E / 31.5359972;
34.4654861
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