7. The 1948 War: Operation Hametz

Saqiya’s location 8.5km east of Jaffa placed it directly in the path of the Zionist strategy to isolate the city.

7.1 Strategic Context: The Siege of Jaffa

In late April 1948, the Haganah launched Operation Hametz (referring to the Passover leaven). The goal was to conquer the ring of villages—Saqiya, Salama, Yazur, and Kafr ‘Ana—cutting Jaffa off from reinforcements and reinforcement.

7.2 The Assault (April 25–28)

• Attackers: Spearheaded by the Alexandroni Brigade, with support from Kiryati and Givati.
• Military Dynamics: The village faced heavy mortar barrages. While some logs claim it was taken “without a fight,” this typically implies the civilian population fled under the intensity of shelling or the news of nearby massacres.
• Capture Date: Israeli records cite April 25; Palestinian accounts and international press (AP) place the fall on April 27–28.

7.3 The Trail of Dispossession

Residents fled primarily toward Lydda and Ramla. In July 1948 (Operation Danny), they were expelled again on the “Death March” toward the Jordanian lines. This double displacement explains the scattered nature of Saqiya’s survivors today.

8. The Diaspora and Memory

8.1 Fragmented Geographies

• Gaza: Survivors in Jabaliyaformed the “Jaffa Neighborhood” (Hayy Jaffa), maintaining Jaffa’s dialect and customs as an act of resistance.
• Jordan: A complex status crisis where “Ex-Gazans” (twice-displaced) hold temporary passports without full national rights.

8.2 Physical Erasure & Or Yehuda

In 1950, Israel established Or Yehuda on village lands, initially as a ma’abara (transit camp) for Jewish immigrants.

• Extant Remains: Forensic surveys identify approximately ten original houses. Some are used as workshops; others are inhabited. Wide lancet arches and concrete facades from the 1940s remain visible as ghostly reminders.

8.3 Preservation of Memory

The oral history projects of elders like Mahmoud Abu Salim and Kamil al-Nadi serve as the repository of a history that physical demolition attempted to erase.