Al-Zahra

Al-Zahra (Arabic: الزهراء) is a Palestinian municipality in the Gaza Governorate, south of Gaza and north of the Wadi Gaza, in the central Gaza Strip. The University of Palestine and Ummah Open University are located there. In 2017, it had a population of 5,338.^[1] There were 837 housing units and 237 other buildings in the town.^[2]

Al-Zahra
Municipality type C
Arabic transcription(s)
• Arabic	الزهراء
• Latin	Madinat Az-Zahra' (official) Ezahra (unofficial)
Ruins in al-Zahra in November 2023
Municipal Seal of Al-Zahra' Municipality
Al-Zahra Location of Al-Zahra within Palestine
Coordinates: 31°28′17.69″N 34°24′4.62″E
State	State of Palestine
Governorate	Gaza
Founded	1998
Government
• Type	Municipality
• Control	Hamas
• Head of Municipality	Tareq Hijo
Area
• Total	4,634 dunams (4.6 km2 or 1.8 sq mi)
Population  (2017)[1]
• Total	5,338
• Density	1,200/km2 (3,000/sq mi)
Etymology	The Rose

Yasser Arafat established Al-Zahra in the 1990s as a residential area for Palestine Authority staff and supporters. It remained a neighborhood with larger houses and more open space than others in Gaza City.^[3] In 1998, a Bronze Age archaeological site was discovered at Al-Zahra during work on a housing project. The site was subsequently named Tell es-Sakan and investigated by archaeologists.^[4]

In the Gaza war, it was untouched by airstrikes until October 19, 2023, when more than twenty apartment blocks were bombed by the Israel Defense Forces.^[5][6]