Al-Khunayzir


Al-Khunayzir, was a Palestinian Arab village in the District of Baysan. It was depopulated by the Israel Defense Forces during the 1948 Arab-Israeli War, on May 20, 1948. It was attacked as part of Operation Gideon.

History

In 1881, it was named as Tell el Khaneizîr, meaning the mound of the swine.

British Mandate era

In the 1922 census of Palestine, conducted by the Mandatory Palestine authorities, Kunaizir had a population of 83; all Muslims, increasing in the 1931 census to 200 Muslims, in a total of 47 houses.
In the 1945 statistics the population was 260 Muslims, with a total of 3,107 dunams of land. Of this, 36 dunams were for citrus and bananas, 1,658 for plantations and irrigated land, 256 for cereals, while 34 dunams were non-cultivable land.

1948, and aftermath

In 1992 it was described: "The only remaining landmarks is a cemetery on Tall Abu al-Faraj, north of the site. To the north and the west of this tell are the springs of 'Uyun Umm al-Faraj and 'Ayn al-Khanazir. Most of the village site and the land around it are covered with palm trees."