History
Identified with the Philistine town of Oga, it is notable for being depicted on the 6th century Map of Madaba.
The modern village of Huj, was established sometime between 1818 and 1820 by Mustafa Bey, the Ottoman Governor of Gaza and Jaffa. He built a police station to keep the village secure, and offered free land to encourage migration to the site from Gaza from amongst the surrounding Bedouin tribes. Huj and its greater vicinity were dominated by the tribes of Jebarat and Wahaideh, the latter of which participated in the 1834 rebellion against Egyptian rule. The rebellion was suppressed and most the Wahaideh were killed, imprisoned, or forced to work the lands, while the rest fled the area. In 1838, Edward Robinson noted that its houses were built of mud and that the population ranged from 200 to 300, most of whom made a living through grain cultivation and bread making. In the late 19th century, "The Survey of Western Palestine" described it as a "small mud village on flat ground. It has a well some 200 feet deep. It is named from Nebi Huj".
Huj witnessed battles between Ottoman and British forces known as the Charge at Huj in 1917, . Following Great Britain's victory and the establishment of the British Mandate in Palestine, Huj expanded eastward and to the west. Water was provided by a 200-foot-deep (61 m) well, and by other wells in surrounding riverbeds. The inhabitants cultivated grains, apricots, figs, grapes, and almonds.
At the time of the 1931 census, Huj had 118 occupied houses and a population of 618 Muslims.
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