al-Wayziyya

Al-Wu'ayziya was a village located in a region composed of volcanic rock formations sloping northward toward the Hula Plain. A secondary road connected the village to the main road leading to the towns of Safad and Tiberias.

A shrine known as Sheikh al-Wu’ayzi was located approximately half a kilometer from the village site. To the west of the shrine, there was a stone quarry.

The village’s population consisted primarily of Bedouins, who relied on livestock rearing and the cultivation of some crops for their livelihood.

Occupation and Depopulation of the Village

Al-Wu'ayziya was occupied in April or May 1948, as part of Operation Yiftach. On 2 May 1948, the neighboring village of Mughur al-Khayt (grid ref. 200266) came under mortar fire, while residents of villages to the north had already fled in late April in anticipation of an attack by Haganah forces.

It is likely that Al-Wu'ayziya fell sometime before the final assault on Safad, which took place on 10 May 1948, during the advancing phase of operations and territorial takeovers by Jewish forces.

The Village Today

The only remaining structure at the site is the shrine of Sheikh al-Wu’ayzi. The ruins of destroyed homes are scattered throughout the area. The surrounding lands are now overgrown with weeds, Christ’s thorn bush (Paliurus spina-christi), eucalyptus, and pine trees, and are frequently used by Israelis as grazing land.

Zionist Settlements on Village Lands

There are no Israeli settlements established directly on the lands of Al-Wu'ayziya. However, the Zionist settlement of Mahanayim (grid ref. 203266) was established in 1939, approximately 1.5 kilometers southeast of the village site.

Source: All That Remains by Walid Khalidi.