Zochrot - Tour and signposting at Ayn Ghazzal

Tour and signposting at Ayn Ghazzal

06/06/2003

Seventy people gathered in the destroyed village of Ayn Ghazzal to hear the stories of its refugees, Ali Hamouda and his brother. During the event we posted signs in Hebrew and Arabic designating different sites in the village of Ayn Ghazzal and basic information about the village.

Ayn Ghazzal was home to 2,726 residents who were expelled in 1948. The village was destroyed in 1952 and its refugees live in Jordan, Syria, the West Bank, and in Israel. The village housed a school, on which Moshav Ofer established a cemetery.

There is a cemetery in the village, which the refugees have fenced closed and are careful to maintain. The gravesite of Sheikh Sh'khadeh is also located in the village, although some have tried to attribute the site to Gideon Ben Yoash. Their graffiti marking were evident both in and outside the structure.