According to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics, Beit Awwa had a population of 10,436 inhabitants in 2017.

In 1838, during the Ottoman era, Edward Robinson noted Beit 'Auwa as a place "in ruins or deserted," part of the area between the mountains and Gaza, but subject to the government of el-Khulil.

[3] He further remarked that the ruins "covering low hills on both sides of the path, exhibiting foundations of hewn stones, from which all that can be inferred is, that here was once an extensive town.

He described finding many artificial caves, some of which were large and had shaped domes, other smaller with square ceilings.

El Kusr is an ancient watch-tower, with drystone walls in ruins; el Keniseh seems to be a ruined church; foundations, capitals, shafts, and lintels with the Maltese cross on them, remain showing a Byzantine building.

[7] In November 1948, during the 1948 Arab-Israeli War soldiers from the Israeli 5th Brigade attacked Beit Awwa, Idhna and Kh.

[16] The Al Swaty clan relocated to the region either from ar-Ramtha, Jordan,[17][18] or, according to another account, from what is today the northern West Bank, passing through the Judean Lowlands.