Situated at an elevation of 50 meters (160 ft) along the southern coastal plain of Palestine, Deir Sunayd had a total land area of 6,081 dunams.

[7] The first part of its name "Dayr" is Arabic for "Monastery", suggesting that it was once the site of a monastic order or a Christian population possibly resided there at one point of time.

The villagers paid a fixed tax rate of 33.3% on various agricultural products, including wheat, barley, fruit, beehives and goats; a total of 4,600 akçe.

[8] During the 17th and 18th centuries, the area of Dayr Sunayd experienced a significant process of settlement decline due to nomadic pressures on local communities.

[7] Dayr Sunayd also witnessed fighting in the early stages if the war, as Egyptian and Jewish forces battled for control of the village and the nearby town of Yad Mordechai shortly after May 15, 1948.

The late president of Egypt, Gamal Abdel Nasser said that when spent the night at the Gaza Military Hospital, "the beds around me were filled with our wounded from the battle of Dayr Sunayd, which was still in progress".