01In brief
Barqa was an Arab village in the Gaza sub-district of Mandatory Palestine. The 1945 village statistics recorded 890 Arab residents and 5,206 dunums: 4,841 Arab-owned, 226 Jewish-owned, and 139 public. Sources agree that Haganah forces occupied the village during the 1948 War of Independence, but place the attack or occupation on May 10 or May 13. A Haganah intelligence table records the evacuation cause as “Occupation” and the destination as “Hamama, Ashdod.”
02Overview
Barqa appears in the 1945 Village Statistics as a locality in the Gaza sub-district.[1] In a published description of the proposed Arab-state boundary on the coastal plain, the boundary ran between the built-up areas of Gan Yavne and Barqa toward a point between Minat el-Qila and Nabi Yunis.[4] The cited passage establishes Barqa’s place in that boundary description but gives no further account of the village.
03History
The available sources agree that Haganah forces occupied Barqa in May 1948, but they provide differing dates. A May 10 chronology entry states that the Giv'ati Brigade attacked and occupied Barqa near Beit Daras during Operation Barak.[3] A Haganah intelligence table records Barqa’s evacuation date as May 13, gives the cause as “Occupation,” and lists “Hamama, Ashdod” in the destination and comments field.[2]
A separate May 13 entry in the same chronology lists “Barqah” among villages attacked and occupied by the Haganah and describes the group as being in Ramleh district.[3] The sources do not establish whether May 10 and May 13 represent separate stages of the operation or a date discrepancy. They also do not resolve the difference between that Ramleh-district designation and Barqa’s placement in the Gaza sub-district statistics and the Haganah document’s South and Negev section.
04Demographics
The 1945 Village Statistics recorded Barqa with 890 Arab residents and no Jewish population figure.[1] Its 5,206 dunums consisted of 4,841 dunums classified as Arab-owned land, 226 as Jewish-owned land, and 139 as public land.[1]
The June 30, 1948 Haganah intelligence document separately listed Barqa’s population during normal times as 980.[2] The document cautions that its statistical figures are approximate and generally require a margin of error of ten to fifteen percent, so its figure should be treated as an estimate rather than as a precise census count.[2]
Sources
- 1Internet Archive, Village Statistics 1945, accessed on September 29, 2026.
- 2Internet Archive, Migration of Eretz Yisrael Arabs, Dec 1947–Jun 1948 (Akevot Institute translation), accessed on September 29, 2026.
- 3Internet Archive, Full text of "Countdown To Catastrophe Palestine 1948 A Daily Chronology Hugh Humphries", accessed on September 29, 2026.
- 4The Washington Institute for Near East Policy, Washington Institute: Claim for Recognition of Israel as a Jewish State, accessed on September 29, 2026.
IsraelPedia Question & Answers
What was Barqa in the Gaza Sub-District?
Barqa was an Arab village in the Gaza sub-district of Mandatory Palestine. The 1945 village statistics recorded 890 Arab residents and 5,206 dunums of land, of which 4,841 were Arab-owned, 226 Jewish-owned, and 139 public. Haganah forces occupied the village during the 1948 War of Independence, after which residents evacuated to Hamama and Ashdod.
What role did Barqa play in the proposed Arab-state boundary on the coastal plain?
In a published description of the proposed Arab-state boundary on the coastal plain, the boundary ran between the built-up areas of Gan Yavne and Barqa toward a point between Minat el-Qila and Nabi Yunis, establishing Barqa as a landmark in that boundary description.
When and how did Haganah forces take Barqa during the 1948 War of Independence?
The available sources agree that Haganah forces occupied Barqa in May 1948, but they give differing dates. One chronology entry states that the Giv'ati Brigade attacked and occupied Barqa near Beit Daras on May 10 during Operation Barak, while a Haganah intelligence table records the evacuation date as May 13. The sources do not establish whether these dates represent separate stages of the operation or a discrepancy.
What was the population of Barqa according to the 1948 Haganah intelligence document?
A June 30, 1948 Haganah intelligence document listed Barqa's population during normal times as 980. The document itself cautions that its statistical figures are approximate and generally require a margin of error of ten to fifteen percent, so this figure should be treated as an estimate rather than a precise census count.