| Al Deira Hotel | |
|---|---|
 Sea-view from the Al Deira hotel on the Gaza coast | |
  | |
| General information | |
| Location | Gaza, Palestine |
| Coordinates | 31°31′55″N 34°26′28″E / 31.53194°N 34.44111°E |
| Opening | 2000 |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect(s) | Rashid Abdel Hamid |
| Other information | |
| Number of rooms | 22 |
The Al Deira Hotel (Arabic: فندق الديرة غزة فلسطين) is a beach hotel located in Gaza, Palestine.[1] It was built in 2000 and has 22 rooms which feature high, domed ceilings and views of the Mediterranean.[1] The hotel is regularly used by foreign journalists covering Gaza.[2]
The architecture of this boutique hotel, built around an inner courtyard, has an "Ottoman elegance".[1] The style blends traditional Moroccan and Arab architecture with modern design influences. It is built with dark brown sun dried mud bricks, with white arches, vaulted and domed ceilings, and handmade furniture. The architect was Rashid Abdel Hamid. It was previously owned by UNDP employee Khaled Abdel Shafi and architect Rashid Abdel Hamid. In 2015, new management took over. [3]
The hotel has received a number of very positive reviews in Time magazine,[1] by British journalist Alan Johnston[4] and by Lonely Planet which describes the Al Deira as "swish, stylish and tightly run," and "without question the best hotel in town."[3]
In 2010, UN Goodwill Ambassadors Mia Farrow and Egyptian actor Mahmoud Kabil visited the hotel.[5]
On July 16, 2014 four children were killed by Israeli rockets whilst playing football on the beach just outside Al Deira Hotel. [6] Staff from the hotel brought wounded to the restaurant. Several foreign journalists were staying at the hotel and became witnesses to the killing.[7][8][9][10]
During the Israel–Hamas war, the Al Deira Hotel was bombed and destroyed by Israeli forces.[11]
