Al-Masmiyya al-Saghira was established in the second half of the 19th century by al-
Hurani clan who had lived in the adjacent
al-Masmiyya al-Kabira, but left because of feuds with other residents. Thus, the village was also known as "Masmiyyat al-Hurani". The adjectival
Saghira means "minor" in
Arabic and was used to differentiate it from al-Mamsiyya
al-Kabira, the latter word meaning "major". increasing in the
1931 census when
Masmiya El Saghira had an all-Muslim population of 354 in 73 houses. In the
1945 statistics the population of
El Masmiya es Sagira was 530 Muslims, while 18 dunams were built-up areas. Seven small shops provided the village with its basic needs and children attended school in al-Masmiyya al-Kabira. Agriculture was the mainstay of the economy, grain being the dominant crop. In addition to cultivation, the inhabitants raised livestock which numbered approximately 4,000 animals, including sheep, goats, cattle, camels, mules. Farmers participated in the weekly market of
al-Faluja, and also sold their products in the cities of Gaza,
al-Majdal (Ashkelon), and
Jaffa.
1948 and aftermath The circumstances of al-Masmiyya al-Saghira's capture by
Israel was identical to those of its sister village, al-Masmiyya al-Kabira which was occupied by the
Givati Brigade on July 8–9, 1948. Israeli historian
Benny Morris writes that the military operation was undertaken occurred in the ten days between the first two truces of the
1948 Arab-Israeli War and that it "precipitated the evacuation of the village". Following the war the area was incorporated into the
State of Israel and the
moshav of
Kfar HaRif was established on al-Masmiyya al-Saghira's lands in 1956. According to
Walid Khalidi: "Virtually no trace of the village remains, and the site is overgrown with weeds, tall grasses, and a scattering of eucalyptus trees". ==See also==