Sheikh Radwan
Encyclopedia
Sheikh Radwan is a district of Gaza City located nearly 3 kilometres (1.9 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 Palestinian
s killed in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict
, including Hamas
leaders Ahmed Yassin
, Abdel Aziz al-Rantissi
, and Said Siam.
scholars as the Monastery of Peter the Iberian
.
i government pursued a large scale resettlement scheme in order to control the refugee population and and prevent militant activism. The idea was to move refugees to better housing so camp areas could be redeveloped and improved. 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. 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. About 8,000 refugees moved into the housing projects of Sheikh Radwan. 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.
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. Members of the Fatah
controlled al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades arrived to defend the police station, and the Hamas militiamen consequently withdrew. 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. During the 2008–2009 Israel–Gaza conflict
, an Israeli airstrike against a house in Sheikh Radwan left three civilians dead and 25 injured. The cemetery was closed down during the conflict due to the lack of vacant burial places, and thirty graves were destroyed after an Israeli missile struck the cemetery.
Rimal
Rimal or Remal is a district in Gaza located from the city center. Situated along the coastline, it has been considered the most prosperous neighborhood in Gaza. The main street that runs through Gaza, Omar Mukhtar Street runs northwest-southeast in the district and the main coastal road, Ahmad...
to the south, and Jabalia
Jabalia
Jabalia also Jabalya is a Palestinian city located north of Gaza City. It is under the jurisdiction of the North Gaza Governorate, in the Gaza Strip. According to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics, Jabalia had a population of 82,877 in mid-year 2006...
to the east. The Sheikh Radwan Cemetery is located in the district. It contains hundreds of graves for Palestinian
Palestinian people
The Palestinian people, also referred to as Palestinians or Palestinian Arabs , are an Arabic-speaking people with origins in Palestine. Despite various wars and exoduses, roughly one third of the world's Palestinian population continues to reside in the area encompassing the West Bank, the Gaza...
s killed in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict
Israeli-Palestinian conflict
The Israeli–Palestinian conflict is the ongoing conflict between Israelis and Palestinians. The conflict is wide-ranging, and the term is also used in reference to the earlier phases of the same conflict, between Jewish and Zionist yishuv and the Arab population living in Palestine under Ottoman or...
, including Hamas
Hamas
Hamas is the Palestinian Sunni Islamic or Islamist political party that governs the Gaza Strip. Hamas also has a military wing, the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades...
leaders Ahmed Yassin
Ahmed Yassin
Sheikh Ahmed Ismail Hassan Yassin was a founder of Hamas, an Islamist Palestinian paramilitary organization and political party. Yassin also served as the spiritual leader of the organization...
, Abdel Aziz al-Rantissi
Abdel Aziz al-Rantissi
Dr. Abdel Aziz Ali Abdulmajid al-Rantissi ; 23 October 1947 – 17 April 2004) was the co-founder of the militant Palestinian Islamist organization Hamas with Sheikh Ahmed Yassin....
, and Said Siam.
History
The district is named after Sheikh Radwan whose tomb is situated on a hilltop in the district with an elevation of 65 metres (213.3 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 ChristianChristian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
scholars as the Monastery of Peter the Iberian
Peter the Iberian
Peter the Iberian, or Peter of Iberia, is a Georgian Orthodox saint, who was a prominent figure in early Christianity. Some have claimed that he is the author of the works written under the pen name Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite....
.
Modern era
In 1971, the IsraelIsrael
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
i government pursued a large scale resettlement scheme in order to control the refugee population and and prevent militant activism. The idea was to move refugees to better housing so camp areas could be redeveloped and improved. The plan was part of 9 relocation schemes within the Gaza Strip
Gaza Strip
thumb|Gaza city skylineThe Gaza Strip lies on the Eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea. The Strip borders Egypt on the southwest and Israel on the south, east and north. It is about long, and between 6 and 12 kilometres wide, with a total area of...
, parts of nearby al-Shati camp were bulldozed and a housing project in Sheikh Radwan was initiated. 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. About 8,000 refugees moved into the housing projects of Sheikh Radwan. The United Nations Relief and Works Agency and the Palestine Liberation Organization
Palestine Liberation Organization
The Palestine Liberation Organization is a political and paramilitary organization which was created in 1964. It is recognized as the "sole legitimate representative of the Palestinian people" by the United Nations and over 100 states with which it holds diplomatic relations, and has enjoyed...
were vociferous in their opposition to the Israeli action, saying it was forced resettlement. After the start of the First Intifada
First Intifada
The First Intifada was a Palestinian uprising against the Israeli occupation of the Palestinian Territories. The uprising began in the Jabalia refugee camp and quickly spread throughout Gaza, the West Bank and East Jerusalem....
, Sheikh Radwan was the most consistently active areas in Gaza.
On October 3, 2005, armed members of Hamas
Hamas
Hamas is the Palestinian Sunni Islamic or Islamist political party that governs the Gaza Strip. Hamas also has a military wing, the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades...
assaulted the Palestinian police
Preventive Security Service
The Preventive Security Force is the official security apparatus of the Palestinian National Authority. It was established in 1994 by President Yasser Arafat in accordance with the Oslo Accords....
station in Sheikh Radwan which ended in the death of Hayam Mohammed Nassar, 30, as she stood on the patio of an adjacent balcony. Members of the Fatah
Fatah
Fataḥ is a major Palestinian political party and the largest faction of the Palestine Liberation Organization , a multi-party confederation. In Palestinian politics it is on the left-wing of the spectrum; it is mainly nationalist, although not predominantly socialist. Its official goals are found...
controlled al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades arrived to defend the police station, and the Hamas militiamen consequently withdrew. Since the take-over of the Gaza Strip
Battle of Gaza (2007)
The Battle of Gaza was a military conflict between Hamas and Fatah that took place between June 7 and 15, 2007 in the Gaza Strip. After winning Palestinian legislative elections in 2006, Hamas and Fatah formed the Palestinan authority national unity government in 2007, headed by Ismail Haniya. In...
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. During the 2008–2009 Israel–Gaza conflict
2008–2009 Israel–Gaza conflict
The Gaza War, known as Operation Cast Lead in Israel and as the Gaza Massacre in the Arab world, was a three-week bombing and invasion of the Gaza Strip by Israel, and hundreds of rocket attacks on south of Israel which...
, an Israeli airstrike against a house in Sheikh Radwan left three civilians dead and 25 injured. The cemetery was closed down during the conflict due to the lack of vacant burial places, and thirty graves were destroyed after an Israeli missile struck the cemetery.