Unknown Soldier's Square
History
Soldier's Square receives its name from an unknown native Palestinian Arab soldier (feda'i) who died during the 1948 Arab-Israeli War and was buried at the site. The square was built by the Egyptian Army. Prior to Israel's occupation of Gaza in 1967, the center of the site bore a statue pointing north to the rest of Palestine commemorating the soldier. It was pulled down by Israeli authorities and until the 1990s, Soldier's Square was a patch of sand with a white plinth (remnant of the statue) in the center. A public garden was later developed at the site with financial help from Norway, along with a coffeehouse serving visitors to the square. On January 19, 2023, Palestinians gathered in the square to celebrate the release of Maher Younis, a freedom fighter who was imprisoned by Israel for 40 years for being part of the then banned Fatah movement and killing an Israeli soldier.
References
- ^ Winter, 2000, p.429.
- ^ "Palestinians try to rebuild their lives in Gaza's ruins". NBC News. 2023-12-01. Retrieved 2024-11-06.
- ^ "Gaza City". Clinton White House. Retrieved 8 December 2024.
- ^ Jacobs, 1998, p.455."
- ^ "Israel releases Palestinian inmate after 40 years behind bars". Getty Images. Retrieved 8 December 2024.
Bibliography
- Winter, David (2000), Israel Handbook: With the Palestinian Authority Areas, Footprint Travel Guides, ISBN 978-1-900949-48-4
- Jacobs, Daniel (1998), Israel and the Palestinian territories, Rough Guides, ISBN 978-0-8021-4350-1
External links
A Postcard, the Unknown Soldier Square in Gaza, 1995 from the Palestinian Museum's Digital Archive
31°31′09.75″N 34°26′40.72″E / 31.5193750°N 34.4446444°E