Barqa, Gaza

Barqa برقة Burqa
Maqam (shrine) of Neby Burk, in 1898[1]
Etymology: sandy ground covered with flint[2]
1870s map 1940s map modern map 1940s with modern overlay map A series of historical maps of the area around Barqa, Gaza (click the buttons)
Barqa Location within Mandatory Palestine
Coordinates: 31°46′35″N 34°42′5″E / 31.77639°N 34.70139°E / 31.77639; 34.70139
Palestine grid	121/131
Geopolitical entity	Mandatory Palestine
Subdistrict	Gaza
Date of depopulation	May 13, 1948[5]
Area [4]
• Total	5,206 dunams (5.206 km2 or 2.010 sq mi)
Population  (1945)
• Total	890[3][4]
Cause(s) of depopulation	Military assault by Yishuv forces
Current Localities	Gan Yavne

Barqa (Arabic: برقة) was a Palestinian Arab village located 37 km north of Gaza near the modern-day Israeli city of Ashdod. It was referred to as Barka by the Greeks and Bareca by the Romans during their rule over the ancient Philistine city. In 1945, the village had a population of 890 and total land area of 5,206 dunums.

It was occupied and depopulated on May 13, 1948 during Operation Barak, a Yishuv offensive in southern Palestine just prior to the outbreak of the 1948 Arab-Israeli War. The ruins of the village were later incorporated into the Israeli town of Gan Yavne.