Al-Fukhari (Arabic: الفَخّاري, also spelled al-Fokari or al-Fukhkhari) is a Palestinian town in the Khan Yunis Governorate in the southern Gaza Strip, located between Khuza'a and Rafah. It sits on the eastern side of the Sufa Crossing road, just west of the border with Israel.[2]
al-Fukhari | |
|---|---|
| Arabic transcription(s) | |
| • Arabic | الفَخّاري |
| • Latin | al-Fukhkhari (official) al-Fokhari (unofficial) |
  al-Fukhari Location of al-Fukhari within Palestine  al-Fukhari al-Fukhari (State of Palestine) | |
| Coordinates: 31°17′55″N 34°19′20″E / 31.29861°N 34.32222°E | |
| State | State of Palestine |
| Governorate | Khan Yunis |
| Government | |
| • Type | Village council |
| • Head of Municipality | Hasan al-Amouri |
| Area | |
| • Total | 4,767 dunams (4.8 km2 or 1.9 sq mi) |
| Population (2017)[1] | |
| • Total | 6,443 |
| • Density | 1,300/km2 (3,500/sq mi) |
In the 1997 census by the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS), it had a population of 2,616, rising to an estimated 6,443 in 2017.[3][1] During the 2005 Palestinian municipal elections, the Fatah party and Independents won the majority of seats in al-Fukhari's municipal council.[4] The town's mayor is Hasan al-Amouri.[3]
Al-Fukhari's total land area consists of 4,767 dunams of which 37.3% is built-up (overwhelmingly residential) and most of the remainder used for agricultural purposes.[5]
Effects of Gaza War
editDuring Israel's 2008-09 offensive against the Hamas government in the Gaza Strip, 13 houses in al-Fukhari belonging to a total of 85 people, mostly members of the extended Amouri and Eid families, were destroyed by the Israeli Army according to a Human Rights Watch report. The Amouri family claimed that 30 dunams of their olive trees were razed while the Eid family reported that a large part of their 20-dunam wheat farm were flattened by Israeli military vehicles.[2]
Just outside al-Fukhari, the Abu Sita concrete factory and 13 company vehicles were also destroyed. HRW concluded the factory and its equipment had been bulldozed by the Israeli military. The Amouri family stated that there were no militants active in the area at the time of the Israeli incursion and that militants had commandeered their homes previously.[2]
References
edit- ^ a b Preliminary Results of the Population, Housing and Establishments Census, 2017 (PDF). Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS) (Report). State of Palestine. February 2018. pp. 64–82. Retrieved 2023-10-24.
- ^ a b c Israel's Unlawful Destruction of Property During Operation Cast Lead Human Rights Watch. May 2010. pp-104-105.
- ^ a b Fukhkhari Profile. Jerusalem Media and Communications Center (JMCC).
- ^ Local Elections (Round Four)- Successful lists by local authority and No. of votes obtained[permanent dead link]. Central Elections Commission-Palestine. p.6.
- ^ Administrative Divisions of Governorates Archived 2012-12-21 at archive.today. Palestinian State Information Services.