Az-Zawayda

Az-Zawayda, also spelled Zawaida, is a Palestinian town in the Gaza Strip, in the Deir al-Balah Governorate of the State of Palestine. It is located about three kilometers northeast of the city of Deir al-Balah and just west of Maghazi refugee camp. According to the Palestinian [Central Bureau of Statistics] 2017 census, there were 23,841 residents.

History

During the Gaza war, an Israeli attack killed at least 13 people after hitting a house in az-Zawayda. Several weeks later, three Israeli missiles struck a warehouse used as shelter by a displaced family, killing at least 16 people, including six children. According to a neighbor, "They were asleep in their beds, kids and babies, then three missiles targeted their place". One of the killed was a wholesale retailer who worked with the Israeli military to bring food into the Gaza Strip.