Israeli occupation date: October 18th-19th, 1948.Deir al-Hawa was completely obliterated. According to the Palestinian historian Walid Khalidi, the village remaining structures on the village land are: The stone rubble of houses is mixed with the ruined walls of terraces. Parts of the site have been levelled and cleared, and the debris has been gathered to form a large pile at one end of the site. In the north, south, and west, terraces are covered with groves of carob and olive trees. Cactuses grow on the southern edge of the site, and ruined walls lie on the western side of the village. Large slabs of reinforced concrete can still be seen near the watchtower that was erected on the cleared área.”
Dayr al-Hawa inhabitants were completely ethnically cleansed. There was a mosque in the western part of the village and a shrine for a local sage known by al-Shaykh Sulayman. Dayr al-Hawa contained two wells located southeast and west of its center. Deir al-Hawa was built on an unknown archaeological site. Israeli illegal settlements on town lands: Nes Harim is nearby village lands.The number of houses in 1931 were 11 and in 1948 were 16.
Land Ownership before Occupation
| Ethnic Group | Land Ownership (Dunums) |
|---|---|
| Arab | 4,660 |
| Jewish | 0 |
| Public | 1,347 |
| Total | 5,907 |
Land usage in 1945
| Land Usage Type | Arab (Dunum) |
|---|---|
| Irrigated & Plantation | 58 |
| Area planted w/ olives | 501 |
| Planted W/ Cereal | 1,565 |
| Built up | 4 |
| Cultivable | 1,623 |
| Non-Cultivable | 4,280 |
Population before occupation
| Year | Population |
|---|---|
| 1922 | 18 |
| 1931 | 47 |
| 1945 | 60 |
| 1948 | 70 |
| Est. Refugees 1998 | 427 |
Source: www.palestineremembered.com
