What is "ni'ilya"

Ni'ilya was a Palestinian Arab village in the Gaza Subdistrict. It was depopulated during the 1948 Arab–Israeli War on November 4, 1948 under Operation Yo'av. It was located 19 km northeast of Gaza in the city territory of modern Ashkelon. The village was defended by the Egyptian Army.

A 1596 census revealed a population of 440; by 1945 this had increased to 1310.

Ni'ilya students attended school in al-Majdal. A school was built in the village in 1948 shortly before the war but never opened. The village had a mosque and tombs of people who were killed while battling the Crusades.