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Khan Yunis
Arabic	خان يونس
Name Meaning	"Jonah's Inn"
Government	City
Governorate	Khan Yunis
Population	179,900 (2006)
Jurisdiction	dunams

Khan Yunis (Arabic: خان يونس; literally Jonah's Inn) is a city and adjacent refugee camp in the southern part of the Gaza Strip. According to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics the city, its refugee camp, and its immediate surroundings had a total population of 180,000 in 2006.[1]

Contents 1 History 2 Khan Yunis in the al-Aqsa Intifada 3 Israeli pullout 4 See also 5 References 6 External links

Founded in 1948, Khan Yunis initially held 35,000 Palestinian Arabs. The number of refugees and their descendants registered with UNRWA in mid-2002 was 60,662.

In November 3rd 1956 , during the Suez war the IDF launched an invasion into Egypt; at that time Khan Yunis was an Egyptian city.

In 2006 Hamas, recognized as a terrorist organization by Israel, the U.S. Department of State, E.U. and United nations, rose to power in the Gaza Strip. As a result, the residents of Khan Yunis have been brutally repressed. It is not uncommon for homes and schools to be used as Kassam Rocket launching sites by Hamas terrorists.

Since Israel's 2005 Gaza Disengagement, over 2,000 Kassam rockets have been launched from Khan Yunis into Israel, killing dozens of Israeli civilians, mostly from the Southern Israeli city of Sderot. Israeli retaliation, which has included bulldozing, ground artillery and helicopter raids targeting areas from which rockets have been launched into Israel, has devastated Khan Yunis. Israel has vowed to continue to pursue Hamas until Hamas ceases to target Israeli civilians.

Main article: Al-Aqsa Intifada

Khan Yunis was the site of Israeli helicopter attacks in August 2001 and October 2002. The result of many of the helicopter attacks has left tens of civilians killed, hundreds wounded and civilian buildings within the vicinity destroyed. It is known as a stronghold of the militant Islamist group Hamas. [2]

The northern part of Khan Yunis overlooks the Kissufim junction — formerly one of the main roads for Israeli traffic to Gush Katif. Buildings there had often been used by militants as sniping posts and mortar bases to shoot settlers and soldiers.

From Khan Yunis' northern buildings, two militants killed Tali Hatuel on May 2, 2004, forcing her and her four daughters off the road and shooting them at close range. The next week, her memorial service was attacked at the same site. One building was also used as cover for an explosive-laden tunnel, which blew up an Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) outpost on June 27. After each attack, the IDF bulldozed some of the structures used by the militant freedom fighters.

From September, 29 2004 till October 15 2004, the Israeli Occupation Forces killed more than 142 Palestinians, 100 of whom were civilians in Jabalya Refugee camp. The number increased to more than 200 Palestinians since Sept. 29

On December 16, 2004, the IDF raided the town with armoured bulldozers and tanks in order to stop mortar shelling of Israeli settlements. In the six weeks before the operation about 80 mortar shells and Qassam rockets had hit Gush Katif, killing one Thai worker and wounding a dozen civilians and 11 soldiers.[3] The operation ended with about 14 Palestinians killed, most of them civilians.

As a result, Khan Yunis have been the target of frequent raids by the IDF, and heavy battles ensued in the area, leaving tens of Palestinians killed, a small number of whom were armed militants,with the overwhelming majority being civilians.

In 2005, Israel unilaterally pulled out of Khan Yunis and the rest of the Gaza Strip in its unilateral disengagement plan.

• Palestinian refugee camps

Pierre Rehov's " From the river to the sea "

• close-up map of Gaza

v • d • e Cities in the Gaza Strip
Beit Hanoun (בית חנון  ·   بيت حانون)  ·   Beit Lahia (בית להיה  ·   بيت لاهية)  ·   Deir el-Balah (דיר אלבלח  ·   دير البلح)  ·   Gaza City (עזה  ·   غزة)  ·   Jabalia (ג'בליה  ·   جباليا)  ·   Khan Yunis (ח'אן יוניס  ·   خان يونس)  ·   Rafah (רפיח  ·   رفح)

v • d • e Palestinian exodus   ·   Palestinian refugees1   ·   UNRWA
Gaza Strip 986,034 refugees Jordan 1,827,877 refugees Lebanon 404,170 refugees Syria 432,048 refugees West Bank 699,817 refugees Beach camp, 76,109 Bureij, 30,059 Deir el-Balah camp, 20,188 Jabalia, 103,646 Khan Yunis, 60,662 Maghazi, 22,536 Nuseirat, 64,233 Rafah camp, 90,638 Amman New Camp, 29,805 Baqa'a, 80,100 Husn, 19,573 Irbid, 23,512 Jabal el-Hussein , 27,674 Jerash, 15,696 Marka, 41,237 Souf, 14,911 Talbieh, 4,041 Zarqa, 17,344 Beddawi, 15,695 Burj el-Barajneh, 19,526 Burj el-Shemali, 18,134 Dbayeh, 4,223 Dikwaneh, destroyed Ein el-Hilweh, 44,133 El-Buss, 9,840 Jisr el-Basha, destroyed Mar Elias, 1,406 Mieh Mieh, 5,078 Nabatieh camp, destroyed in 1973 Nahr el-Bared, 28,358 Rashidieh, 24,679 Sabra Shatila, 11,998 Wavel, 7,357 Dera'a, 5,916 Dera'a (Emergency), 5,536 Hama, 7,597 Homs, 13,825 Jaramana, 5,007 Khan Dunoun, 8,603 Khan Eshieh, 15,731 Neirab, 17,994 Qabr Essit, 16,016 Sbeineh, 19,624 Latakia, 6,534 Yarmouk, 112,550 Ein Al-Tal, 4,329 Abu Dis Aida, 3,260 Am'ari, 8,083 Aqabat Jabr, 5,197 Arroub, 9,180 Askar, 13,894 Balata, 20,681 Beit Jibrin, 1,828 Camp No.1, 6,221 Deir Ammar, 2,189 Dheisheh, 10,923 Ein el-Sultan, 1,888 Far'a, 6,836 Fawwar, 7,072 Jalazone, 9,284 Jenin, 14,050 Kalandia, 9,188 Nur Shams, 8,179 Shu'fat camp, 9,567 Tulkarm, 16,259
1The UNRWA definition of a "Palestinian refugee" is a person "whose normal place of residence was Palestine between June 1946 and May 1948, who lost both their homes and means of livelihood as a result of the 1948 Arab-Israeli conflict." "UNRWA's definition of a refugee also covers the descendants of persons who became refugees in 1948." (UNRWA)

Coordinates: 31°20′38″N, 34°18′09″E