Al-Qarara or Al Qarara (Arabic: القرارة) is a Palestinian town located north of Khan Yunis, in the Khan Yunis Governorate of the southern Gaza Strip. According to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics, al-Qarara had a population of 29,004 inhabitants in 2017,[1] The town is 15 miles south of Gaza City, and used to be a farming village.[2] It lies on trade routes dating back to the Bronze Age.[2]
al-Qarara | |
|---|---|
| Arabic transcription(s) | |
| • Arabic | القرارة |
| • Latin | al-Qrara (official) el-Qarara (unofficial) |
  al-Qarara  al-Qarara | |
| Coordinates: 31°22′23″N 34°20′21″E / 31.37306°N 34.33917°E | |
| State | State of Palestine |
| Governorate | Khan Yunis |
| Government | |
| • Type | Municipality |
| • Head of Municipality | Eid al-Abdullah |
| Population (2017)[1] | |
| • Total | 29,004 |
The town was home to the Al Qarara Cultural Museum,[2] but that museum was destroyed by Israeli forces in late 2023 due to the 2023 Israel–Hamas war.[3] The Israeli military had also ordered that town to be evacuated due to the war.[4]
A pedestrian bridge over Salah Aldin Street for students was completed in the town in September 2023.[5] The bridge had been funded by Japan's Grant Assistance for Grassroots Human Security Projects program.[5]