Tuffah (Arabic: التفاح, literally: "the Apple") is one of four quarters of the Old City of Gaza,[1] located in the northeast, and is divided into eastern and western halves.[2] Prior to its expansion and the demolition of the Old City's walls, Tuffah was one of the three walled quarters of Gaza, the other two being al-Daraj and Zeitoun.[3] The local pronunciation of the district's name is at-tuffen.[4]
Tuffah has existed since early Mamluk rule in Gaza in the 13th century. The southern part of Tuffah was called "ad-Dabbaghah". According to Ottoman tax records in the late 16th century, it was a small neighborhood containing 57 households. The ad-Dabbaghah neighborhood contained Gaza's slaughterhouse and tanners' facilities during the Ottoman era (1517-1917). The northern subdivision of Tuffah was called "Bani Amir."[4]
the neighborhood was subjected to heavy Israeli artillery fire and airstrikes; multiple Palestinian journalists were also killed in targeted airstrikes in the area.[7][8] The quarter's residents were subject to forced displacement by the Israeli military in August 2024.[9]
The Israeli Air Force bombed at least two schools in the neighborhood.[10]
^Sharon, Moshe (2009). "Gaza". Corpus Inscriptionum Arabicarum Palaestinae. Vol. 4. BRILL. pp. 28–30. ISBN978-90-04-17085-8. The old city of Gaza, where all the remnants of the ancient, medieval and early Ottoman city are found, is divided into four quarters, a few of which are subdivided. Three of these quarters (at-Tuffäh, ad-Daraj, and az-Zaytun) were within the walls of the ancient city. The southeastern quarter, as-Saja'iyyah, developed later than the others, mainly outside these walls… The four quarters of the city are as follows: in the northeast (generally, north): Hãrat (or Hayy) at-Tuffäh (the "Apple Quarter")… The Southern part of this quarter is called ad-Dabbäghah (not as-Sabbäghah) the tanners' neighbourhood situated in the area of the slaughter house during the Ottoman period…
