Huj

The village was built on a hilly area at the northern end of the Negev Desert, overlooked by two hills from the east and west. It was located at the intersection of several secondary roads that connected it to Gaza, Beersheba, and other residential centers. It is located 15 kilometers from Gaza, with an average elevation of 100 meters above sea level. It has been known that the village is the ancient village of (Ogha) that appears on the map of Madaba. In 1945 about 880 Arab Muslim inhabitants lived in the village, while about 230 Jews were living in an administrative colony known also as Huj, but not in the village itself).

The expulsion
During one of its advances northward, the Negev Brigade of the Israeli army ordered the villagers to leave their homes on May 31, 1948. The villagers were expelled westward while their homes were looted and then blown up. Although many Zionist officers considered the village to be “friendly,” the prevailing view was that it was “unreliable” on the front lines with the Egyptian army. In September, the displaced villagers appealed to Israel to allow them to return, citing the stability of the truce. Two Israeli officials argued for this on security grounds or so that their return would not set a precedent (the Minister of Minority Affairs had recommended that they be allowed to return, though not to their village itself, but to a location deep within the area occupied by Israel).

Colonization
The Dorot colony, which was established in 1941 on the village lands, seized more of its lands after 1948.

The village today
All that remains of it is one dilapidated concrete building, with rectangular doors, windows, and a flat roof. The purpose of this building in the past is unclear, but it is now used as a farm store. The remains of a water tank can also be distinguished. Sycamore trees and cactus grow on the eastern and western ends of the site. An Israeli sheep farm was also established on the site.

Reference: Walid Khalidi, Lest We Forget, pp. 583, 584.