Statistic/Fact	Value
Israeli occupation date	May 20, 1948
Distance from district center	11 (km) East of Jaffa
Elevation from the sea	25 (meters)
Map location	See location number #23 on the map
Israeli military operation	Possibly Operation Chametz
Israeli attacking brigade	Either Irgun Zvai Leumi (IZL) or Alexandroni Brigade
Defenders	Local militia & Arab Liberation Army
Exodus Cause	Expulsion by Jewish troops
Village remains after destruction by Israelis	On the 13th of September 1948, the village was mostly destroyed with the exception of few houses and the two village schools.
Ethnically cleansing by Israelis	al-Safiriyya inhabitants were completely ethnically cleansed.
Land ownership before occupation	Ethnic Group Land Ownership (Dunums) Arab 10,545 Jewish 1,722 Public 575 Total 12,842
Land usage in 1945	Land Usage Type Arab (Dunum) Jewish (Dunum) Area planted w/ citrus 3,539 1,412 Irrigated & Plantation 3,708 24 Area planted w/ olives 25 0 Planted W/ Cereal 3,032 286 Built up 95 0 Cultivable 10,279 1,722 Non-Cultivable 746 0
Population before occupation	Year Population 1596 292 1922 1,306 1931 2,040 1945 3,070 1948 3,561 Est. Refugees 1998 21,870
Number of houses	Year Number of houses 1931 489 1948 853
Town's name through history	al-Safiriyya was known to the Byzantines by Sapharea, and the Crusades called it Saphyria.
Schools	al-Safiriyya had two elementary schools, one for boys founded in 1920 which had an enrollment of 348 boys in 1945, and another school was for girls founded in 1945 with an initial enrollment of 45 girls, both schools remain standing.
Archeological sites	al-Safiriyya contains several khirbats including Khirbat Subtara.
Exculsive jewish colonies on town's lands	Tzafriyya, Kefar Chabad, Achi'ezer, and the suburbs of Ri'shon le-Tziyyon.
Related Maps	خرائط تفصيلية للمحافظة View from satellite Help us map this town at WikiMapia
More Information	Language External Links Arabic PalGates Hebrew Nakba in Hebrew   Nakba-Online

Bibliography and References

Town Today

According to the Palestinian historian Walid Khalidi, the village remaining structures on the village land are:
"The two schools-long concrete structures with rectangular doorways and windows-still stand and have been refurbished. A number of houses, some made of adobe brick and others of concrete, also remain and are either deserted or inhabited by Jewish families."

• Nakba Oral History Podcast: Interview with Hasan 'Awad
• Nakba Oral History Podcast: Interview with Ibrahim 'Udeh