Iraq Suwaydan

Iraq Suwaydan عراق سويدان Iraq al-Suweidan
View of Iraq Suwaydan village from Israeli machine gun position, November 1948
Etymology: "The cavern of Suweidan"[1]
1870s map 1940s map modern map 1940s with modern overlay map A series of historical maps of the area around Iraq Suwaydan (click the buttons)
Iraq Suwaydan Location within Mandatory Palestine
Coordinates: 31°38′55″N 34°41′34″E / 31.64861°N 34.69278°E / 31.64861; 34.69278
Palestine grid	121/117
Geopolitical entity	Mandatory Palestine
Subdistrict	Gaza
Date of depopulation	8 July 1948[4]
Area [3]
• Total	7,529 dunams (7.529 km2 or 2.907 sq mi)
Population  (1945)
• Total	660[2][3]
Cause(s) of depopulation	Military assault by Yishuv forces
Current Localities	Yad Natan,[5] Otzem,[5] Sde Yoav[5]

'Iraq Suwaydan (Arabic: عراق سويدان, Hebrew: עיראק סווידאן) was a Palestinian Arab village located 27 km (17 mi) northeast of Gaza City. It was captured by Israeli forces in Operation Yoav against the defending Egyptian Army during the 1948 Arab-Israeli War. The village infrastructure, with the exception of the police station built by the British Mandate authorities, was destroyed.