Editing Khan Yunis (section)

==History==
[[File:Khan Yunis-1930s.jpg|thumb|right|The southern part of the historic ''[[khan (inn)|khan]]'' at Khan Yunis, 1930s]]

===Ancient period===
[[Herodotus]] describes a city named ''Ienysos'' ({{Langx|grc|Ιηνυσος}}) located between [[Lake Bardawil|Lake Serbonis]] and [[Gaza City|Kadytis]] (modern Gaza city). He talks about how the Persian military marched through the location on its way to Egypt. He also describes how the coastal area between [[Gaza City|Kadytis]] and Ienysos was inhabited by [[Bedouin|local Arab tribes]]. Some sources, due to phonological resemblance of the names and due to the general matching of the geographic locations, associate this site with modern Khan Yunis.<ref name="Retsö">Retsö, J. (2014). ''The Arabs in antiquity: Their history from the Assyrians to the Umayyads - "Chapter 9: The Age of the Achaemenids - Herodotus of Halicarnassus"''. Routledge.</ref>

Other sources have suggested a further inland location of "Khirbet Ma'in Abu Sitta" (Palestinian village depopulated in 1949, near modern kibbutz of [[Nir Oz]])<ref>Abu-Sitta, S. H. (2017). ''Mapping my return: A Palestinian memoir''. American University in Cairo Press.</ref> or the Egyptian town of [[Arish]] as possible locations of Ienysos, but there is no clear evidence to support this identification.<ref name="Retsö"/><ref>{{Cite book |last=Verreth |first=Herbert |title=The northern Sinai from the 7th century BC till the 7th century AD. A guide to the sources |publisher=Leuven |year=2006 |volume=1 |pages=263}}</ref>

Ancient discoveries in Khan Yunis feature a [[lintel]] with a [[Greek language|Greek]] inscription, discovered repurposed in the tomb of Sheikh Hamada. The inscription translates to: '''Hilarion - giving thanks to [[Saint George|St. Georgius]]''.' Originally housed in the Musée de Notre Dame de France in Jerusalem, the lintel is currently lost.<ref>{{Citation |title=XXXVIII. Khan Yunis |date=2014-07-14 |work=Volume 3 South Coast: 2161-2648 |pages=569–570 |url=https://www.degruyter.com/document/doi/10.1515/9783110337679.569/html |access-date=2024-02-25 |publisher=De Gruyter |language=en |doi=10.1515/9783110337679.569 |isbn=978-3-11-033767-9}}</ref>

===Establishment by Mamluks===
{{main| Barquq Castle}}
Before the 14th century, Khan Yunis was a village known as "Salqah".<ref name=Sharon>Sharon, 1999, p. [https://books.google.com/books?id=EPFDU8POrXIC&pg=PA228 228]</ref> To protect caravans, pilgrims and travellers a vast [[Caravanserai|caravan serai]] – today known as [[Barquq Castle]] – was constructed there by ''[[emir]]'' Yūnus an-Nūrūzī in 1387–88, an official of the [[Mamluk Empire]].<ref name=Sharon/> The growing town surrounding it was named "Khan Yunis" after him. In 1389 Yunus was killed in battle.<ref>Sharon, 1999, p. [https://books.google.com/books?id=EPFDU8POrXIC&pg=PA229 229]</ref> Yunus ibn Abdallah an-Nuruzi ad-Dawadar was the executive secretary ({{Transliteration|ar|[[dawadar]]}}), one of the high-ranking officials of the [[Mamluk Sultanate (Cairo)|Mamluk]] sultan [[Barquq]]. The town became an important center for trade and its weekly Thursday market drew traders from neighboring regions.<ref>Abu-Khalaf, Marwan. [https://web.archive.org/web/20080201045835/http://www.elagha.net/e/index.htm Khan Younis City]. ''El-Agha''. July 2002.</ref>''

The khan served as resting stop for couriers of the ''[[barid]]'', the Mamluk [[Postal history of Palestine|postal network]] in Palestine and Syria.

===Ottoman period===
In late 1516 Khan Yunis was the site of a minor [[Battle of Yaunis Khan|battle]] in which the Egypt-based Mamluks were defeated by [[Ottoman Empire|Ottoman]] forces under the leadership of [[Hadim Sinan Pasha|Sinan Pasha]]. The Ottoman sultan [[Selim I]] then arrived in the area where he led the Ottoman army across the [[Sinai Peninsula]] to conquer Egypt.<ref>Pitcher, p. 105.</ref> During the 17th and 18th centuries the Ottomans assigned an [[Azeb|Asappes]] garrison associated with the [[Cairo Citadel]] to guard the fortress at Khan Yunis.<ref>Hathaway, 2002, p. [https://books.google.com/books?id=QtlY011yusEC&pg=PA38 38]</ref>

[[Pierre Jacotin]] named the village ''Kan Jounes'' on his map from 1799,<ref>Karmon, 1960, p. [http://www.jchp.ucla.edu/Bibliography/Karmon,_Y_1960_Jacotin_Map_(IEJ_10).pdf 173] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191222063351/http://jchp.ucla.edu/Bibliography/Karmon,_Y_1960_Jacotin_Map_(IEJ_10).pdf |date=2019-12-22 }}</ref> while in 1838, [[Edward Robinson (scholar)|Robinson]] noted ''Khan Yunas'' as a [[Muslim]] village located in the Gaza district.<ref>Robinson and Smith, vol 3, 2nd appendix, p. [https://archive.org/stream/biblicalresearch03robiuoft#page/117/mode/1up 117]</ref> In 1863 French explorer [[Victor Guérin]] visited Khan Yunis. He found it had about a thousand inhabitants, and that many fruit trees, especially [[apricot]]s were planted in the vicinity.<ref>Guérin, 1869, p.[https://archive.org/stream/descriptiongog02gu#page/226/mode/1up 226] ff,  pp. [https://archive.org/stream/descriptiongog02gu#page/249/mode/1up 249]-250, p. [https://archive.org/stream/descriptiongog02gu#page/251/mode/1up 251]</ref>

During the [[Ottoman period]], the [[Bedouin]] [[tribe]] of '''<nowiki/>'Arab al-Wahidat''' (عرب الوحيدات) were among the residents of Khan Yunis.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Marom |first=Roy |author-link=Roy Marom |last2=Fantalkin |first2=Alexander |date=2025-01-01 |title=Vines Among the dunes: sand/dune agriculture in Rimāl Isdūd/Ashdod-Yam during the Late Ottoman and British Mandate periods |url=https://www.academia.edu/128219356/Vines_Among_the_dunes_sand_dune_agriculture_in_Rim%C4%81l_Isd%C5%ABd_Ashdod_Yam_during_the_Late_Ottoman_and_British_Mandate_periods |journal=Contemporary Levant |pages=7}}</ref>

At the end of the 19th-century the Ottomans established a municipal council to administer the affairs of Khan Yunis, which had become the second largest town in the Gaza District after [[Gaza City|Gaza]] itself.<ref>Feldman, 2008, p.  [https://books.google.com/books?id=D0bEoa0a_YsC&pg=PA21 21]</ref>

===British Mandate===
[[File:Khan Yunis 1-2,500 ,1940.jpg|thumb|left|1940 [[Survey of Palestine]] map of Khan Yunis]]
In the [[1922 census of Palestine]] conducted by the [[Mandatory Palestine|British Mandate authorities]], Khan Yunis had a population of 3890 inhabitants (3866 Muslims, 23 Christians, and one Jew),<ref name=Census1922>Barron, 1923,  Table V, [[Gaza Subdistrict, Mandatory Palestine|Sub-district of Gaza]], p. [https://archive.org/stream/PalestineCensus1922/Palestine%20Census%20%281922%29#page/n10/mode/1up 8]</ref> decreasing in the [[1931 census of Palestine|1931 census]] to 3811 (3767 Muslims, 41 Christians, and three Jews), in 717 houses in the urban area<ref name=censusP4>Mills, 1932, p. [https://archive.org/details/CensusOfPalestine1931.PopulationOfVillagesTownsAndAdministrativeAreas 4]</ref> and 3440 (3434 Muslims and 6 Christians) in 566 houses in the suburbs.<ref name=censusP5>Mills, 1932, p. [https://archive.org/details/CensusOfPalestine1931.PopulationOfVillagesTownsAndAdministrativeAreas 5]</ref>

[[Image:Khan Yunis 1931.jpg|thumb|Khan Yunis 1931 1:20,000]]

In the 1938 village statistics, the population is listed as 4,379 (including three Jews) with 3,953 in nearby suburbs.<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://users.cecs.anu.edu.au/~bdm/yabber/census/VillageStatistics1938orig.pdf |title=Village Statistics |year=1938 |pages=64}}</ref> In the [[Village Statistics, 1945|1945 statistics]], Khan Yunis had a population of 11,220 (11,180 Muslims and 40 Christians),<ref name=1945p31>Department of Statistics, 1945, p. [http://users.cecs.anu.edu.au/~bdm/yabber/census/VSpages/VS1945_p31.jpg 31]</ref> with 2,302 (urban) and 53,820 (rural) [[dunam]]s of land, according to an official land and population survey.<ref>Government of Palestine, Department of Statistics. ''Village Statistics, April, 1945.'' Quoted in Hadawi, 1970, p. [http://www.palestineremembered.com/download/VillageStatistics/Table%20I/Gaza/Page-046.jpg 46]</ref> Of this, 4,172 dunams were plantations and irrigable land, 23,656 used for cereals,<ref>Government of Palestine, Department of Statistics. ''Village Statistics, April, 1945.'' Quoted in Hadawi, 1970, p. [http://www.palestineremembered.com/download/VillageStatistics/Table%20II/Gaza/Page-087.jpg 87]</ref> while 1,847 dunams were built-up land.<ref>Government of Palestine, Department of Statistics. ''Village Statistics, April, 1945.'' Quoted in Hadawi,  1970, p. [http://www.palestineremembered.com/download/VillageStatistics/Table%20III/Gaza/Page-137.jpg 137]</ref>

[[Image:Khan Yunis 1945.jpg|thumb|Khan Yunis 1945 1:250,000]]

During the [[Nazi]] occupation of the [[Dodecanese]], many Greeks from Dodecanese islands such as [[Kastelorizo]] sought refuge in the nearby [[Nuseirat Camp]].{{citation needed|date=December 2024}}

===1948–1967===
During the night of 31 August 1955, three Israeli [[Paratroopers Brigade|paratroop]] companies attacked the British-built [[Tegart fort]] in Khan Yunis from where attacks had been carried out against Israelis.<ref name="Katz" /> The police station, a petrol station and several buildings in the village of [[Abasan al-Kabera|Abasan]] were destroyed, as well as railway tracks and [[telegraph]] poles. In heavy fighting, 72 Egyptian soldiers were killed. One Israeli soldier was killed and 17 were wounded. The operation led to a ceasefire on September 4, forcing President [[Gamal Abdel Nasser]] and the Egyptian government to halt [[Palestinian fedayeen#Suez Crisis|Palestinian fedayeen operations]] against Israel.<ref>Derori, 2005,  p. 142</ref> One of the mechanized companies was commanded by [[Rafael Eitan]].<ref name="Katz">Katz, 1988, p.  10</ref><ref>Morris, 1993, p. 350</ref>

Before the [[Suez War]], Khan Yunis was officially administered by the [[All-Palestine Government]], seated in Gaza and later in Cairo. After a fierce firefight, the [[Sherman tank]]s of the IDF 37th Armored Brigade broke through the heavily fortified lines outside of Khan Yunis held by the 86th Palestinian Brigade.<ref name="Varble, Derek page 46">Varble, 2003,   p.  [https://books.google.com/books?id=MrP3kgd4sf8C&pg=PA46 46]</ref> It was the only site in the Gaza strip where the Egyptian army put up any resistance to the Israeli invasion of Gaza, but it surrendered on 3 November 1956.

There are conflicting reports of what happened. Israel said that Palestinians were killed when Israeli forces were still facing armed resistance, while the Palestinians said all resistance had ceased by then, and that many unarmed civilians were killed as the Israel troops went through the town and camp, seeking men in possession of arms.<ref name="lat">{{cite news|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2010-feb-04-la-et-joe-sacco4-2010feb04-story.html|title=Joe Sacco produces comics from the hot zones|work=Los Angeles Times|date=February 4, 2010|author=Reed Johnson}}</ref><ref name="un" />

The killings, dubbed the [[Khan Yunis massacre]], were reported to the UN General Assembly on 15 December 1956 by the Director of the [[United Nations Relief and Works Agency]], Henry Labouisse. According to the report, the exact number of dead and wounded is not known, but the director received lists of names of persons allegedly killed from a trustworthy source, including 275 people, of which 140 were refugees and 135 local residents.<ref name="un">[http://domino.un.org/unispal.nsf/0/6558f61d3db6bd4505256593006b06be?OpenDocument UNRWA Report to the UN General Assembly November 1&nbsp;– December 14, 1956] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130629110942/http://domino.un.org/unispal.nsf/0/6558f61d3db6bd4505256593006b06be?OpenDocument |date=June 29, 2013 }}.: "The town of Khan Yunis and the Agency's camp adjacent thereto were occupied by Israel troops on the morning of 3 November. A large number of civilians were killed at that time, but there is some conflict in the accounts given as to the causes of the casualties. The Israel authorities state that there was resistance to their occupation and that the Palestinian refugees formed part of the resistance. On the other hand, the refugees state that all resistance had ceased at the time of the incident and that many unarmed civilians were killed as the Israel troops went through the town and camp, seeking men in possession of arms. The exact number of dead and wounded is not known, but the Director has received from sources he considers trustworthy lists of names of persons allegedly killed on 3 November, numbering 275 individuals, of whom 140 were refugees and 135 local residents of Khan Yunis."</ref><ref name="ap">{{cite news|url=http://www.haaretz.com/news/graphic-novel-on-idf-massacres-in-gaza-set-to-hit-bookstores-1.1677|title=Graphic novel on IDF 'massacres' in Gaza set to hit bookstores|work=Haaretz|date=Dec 21, 2009}}</ref>

After 1959, the All-Palestine Government of Gaza Strip was abolished and the city was included in the [[United Arab Republic]], which was shortly disestablished and the Gaza Strip came under the direct [[Occupation of the Gaza Strip by Egypt|Egyptian military occupation rule]].

===1967 and aftermath===
[[File:The home of the Kware' family, after it was bombed by the military.jpg|250px|thumb|right|The Kaware house in after bombing in 2014, see [[Mass civilian casualties of Israeli bombing, shelling and rocket attacks on the Gaza Strip#Kaware family home|Kaware family home]]]]

In 1967, during the [[Six-Day War]], [[Israel]] occupied Khan Yunis again.

As a result of the 1993-1995 [[Oslo Accords]], Khan Yunis and most of the Gaza Strip (excluding Israeli settlements and military areas) were placed under the control of the [[Palestinian Authority]].

Khan Yunis was the site of [[Israel]]i helicopter attacks in August 2001 and October 2002 that left several civilians killed, hundreds wounded and civilian buildings within the vicinity destroyed.<ref>{{Cite web |title=CNN.com - More violence in Gaza and West Bank - August 21, 2001 |url=https://edition.cnn.com/2001/WORLD/meast/08/18/mideast/ |access-date=2025-03-31 |website=CNN}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Anderson |first=John Ward |date=2002-10-08 |title=Israeli Missile Kills 10 In Crowded Gaza Street |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/2002/10/08/israeli-missile-kills-10-in-crowded-gaza-street/8c19cac5-0680-4633-8e32-b76015831085/ |access-date=2025-03-31 |work=The Washington Post |language=en-US |issn=0190-8286}}</ref>

The Palestinian Authority came into control of the entirety of the Strip following the [[Israeli disengagement from Gaza|2005 Israeli disengagement]]. However, following the [[Battle of Gaza (2007)|Battle of Gaza]] in 2007, [[Hamas]] took over the Gaza Strip and established [[Hamas government in the Gaza Strip|its own government]] in the region.

===Israel–Gaza war===
{{Main|Siege of Khan Yunis|Second Battle of Khan Yunis|Third Battle of Khan Yunis}}

During the ongoing Israel–Gaza war, Israel has bombed Khan Yunis along with other cities in the Gaza Strip as part of an offensive against Hamas. The [[Israeli Air Force]] extensively bombed much of the city, including the [[Hamad City]] apartment complex.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Bulos |first=Nabih |date=2023-12-04 |title=In Gaza, she sits by her belongings, waiting for her home to be bombed |url=https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2023-12-04/gaza-war-restarted-palestinian-civilians-try-to-outrun-israel-military-bombardment |access-date=2023-12-05 |website=[[Los Angeles Times]] |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Moment Israeli strikes hit residential complex in Gaza's Khan Yunis {{!}} AFP |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lwWzxzYNfMA |access-date=2023-12-04 |website=www.youtube.com| date=2 December 2023 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-12-02 |title=Israeli strike destroys prestige Qatar-funded Gaza complex |url=https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20231202-israeli-strike-destroys-prestige-qatar-funded-gaza-complex |access-date=2023-12-05 |website=[[France 24]] |language=en}}</ref> Local sources have reported numerous civilian casualties in Khan Yunis as a result of Israeli bombings,<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-11-19 |title=Israeli airstrikes in Nusseirat, Khan Yunis claim 15 innocent lives |url=https://english.wafa.ps/Pages/Details/139398 |access-date=2023-12-04 |website=[[Wafa]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-12-04 |title= |script-title=ar:شهداء وجرحى في قصف على مدينتي غزة وخان يونس.. والاحتلال يقتل 3 عناصر من الدفاع المدني |url=https://arabicpost.net/%D8%A3%D8%AE%D8%A8%D8%A7%D8%B1/2023/12/04/%D8%B4%D9%87%D8%AF%D8%A7%D8%A1-%D9%81%D9%8A-%D9%82%D8%B5%D9%81-%D8%B9%D9%84%D9%89-%D8%BA%D8%B2%D8%A9-2/ |access-date=2023-12-04 |website=arabicpost.net |language=ar}}</ref> which Palestinian news agency [[Wafa]] put at "at least 70" as of December 3.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-12-03 |title=Israel expands ground invasion in Gaza's Khan Younis |url=https://english.wafa.ps/Pages/Details/139804 |access-date=2023-12-04 |website=[[Wafa]]}}</ref> The [[Al Qarara Cultural Museum]] was destroyed in an explosion as a result of an Israeli attack in October 2023, part of an offensive that reportedly targeted civilian homes and mosques in the vicinity.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-10-18 |title=خسائر كبيرة في قطاع الثقافة الفلسطينية جراء العدوان الإسرائيلي على غزة |url=https://www.cairo24.com/1885559 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231018205004/https://www.cairo24.com/1885559 |archive-date=2023-10-18 |access-date=2023-11-05}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-10-18 |title=استهداف البشر والحجر والكلمة.. قصص تدمير أشهر المؤسسات الثقافية في غزة - البوابة نيوز |url=https://www.arabianews24.net/a/917847 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231018205046/https://www.arabianews24.net/a/917847 |archive-date=2023-10-18 |access-date=2023-11-05}}</ref> Israeli armored units began entering the outskirts of the city [[Siege of Khan Yunis|in December 2023]]. After several months of fighting, Israeli forces ended up withdrawing from Khan Yunis and most of the southern Gaza Strip.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Picheta |first=Vasco Cotovio, Rob |date=2024-04-07 |title=Israeli military says it has withdrawn forces from Khan Younis after months of fighting |url=https://www.cnn.com/2024/04/07/middleeast/israel-khan-younis-withdrawal-gaza-intl/index.html |access-date=2024-04-08 |website=CNN |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Adler |first=Edna Mohamed,Nils |title=Israel's war on Gaza updates: Israel says troops moved for new operations |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/liveblog/2024/4/7/israels-war-on-gaza-live-protests-call-for-ceasefire-ahead-of-cairo-talks |access-date=2024-04-08 |website=Al Jazeera |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-04-07 |title=IDF ends active ground invasion, completely withdraws from southern Gaza |url=https://www.jpost.com/breaking-news/article-795724 |access-date=2024-04-08 |website=The Jerusalem Post {{!}} JPost.com |language=en}}</ref> Having failed to root out Hamas from Khan Yunis,<ref>{{cite web |last=Fabian |first=Emanuel |date=7 April 2024 |title=Five rockets fired from Khan Younis at Gaza border communities, hours after IDF withdraws ground troops |url=https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/five-rockets-fired-from-khan-younis-at-gaza-border-communities-hours-after-idf-withdraws-ground-troops/ |access-date=7 April 2024 |work=The Times of Israel}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=IRAN UPDATE, APRIL 7, 2024 |url=http://dev-isw.bivings.com/ |access-date=2024-07-22 |website=Institute for the Study of War |language=en}}</ref> Israeli forces began [[Second Battle of Khan Yunis|a second invasion of the city]] in late July 2024, which also ended in an Israeli withdrawal.<ref>{{Cite web |date=30 July 2024 |title=Israeli forces quit east Khan Younis, Palestinians recover dozens of bodies |url=https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/israeli-forces-quit-east-khan-younis-palestinians-recover-dozens-bodies-2024-07-30/ |website=Reuters}}</ref> Israeli forces [[Third Battle of Khan Yunis|invaded Khan Yunis yet again]] in August 2024, and withdrew once more at the end of the month.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Clinton |first=Jane |date=2024-08-30 |title=The Israeli military said on Friday it had wrapped up a month-long operation in southern and central Gaza that it said killed more than 250 Palestinian fighters. |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2024/aug/30/middle-east-crisis-live-israel-hamas-gaza-polio-latest-news?CMP=share_btn_url&page=with:block-66d1b5c28f08eed33c6408e8#block-66d1b5c28f08eed33c6408e8 |access-date=2024-08-30 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077 |quote=}}</ref> Following [[2025 Gaza war ceasefire|the 2025 ceasefire]], Hamas forces were seen parading through Khan Yunis.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-01-19 |title=Alto el fuego en Gaza: se abre un respiro tras 15 meses de terror y casi 47.000 muertes |url=https://www.france24.com/es/medio-oriente/20250119-alto-el-fuego-en-gaza-se-abre-un-respiro-tras-15-meses-de-terror-y-casi-47-000-muertes |access-date=2025-01-19 |website=France 24 |language=es}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=19 January 2025 |title=Gazans cheer as ceasefire between Israel and Hamas takes hold |url=https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/gazans-cheer-ceasefire-between-israel-hamas-kicks-off-2025-01-19/ |website=Reuters}}</ref>