In the Ottoman era, Hula was a village inhabited by Shiites, described in 1881 as having stone buildings, cisterns, and a central mosque amidst olive and vineyards.

During the 1948 Arab-Israeli war two officers from the IDF carried out the Hula massacre in the village, killing over 80 civilians of ages 15–60.

Houla is identified with Ulay Rabta (Hebrew: אולי רבתה), a place referenced in the Baraita on the "Boundaries of the Land of Israel" as part of the delineation of the northwestern border of Jewish resettlement following the return from Babylonian exile.

Scholarly analysis suggests that this text likely describes a later era, possibly the Hasmonean or Herodian periods, during the 2nd or 1st century BCE.

[7] In 1881, the PEF's Survey of Western Palestine (SWP) described it as: "A village, built of stone, containing about 500 Metawileh, one of the most prominent objects in which is a Sheikh's tomb.

[6] On October 24, 1948, the city fell in Israeli's occupation without resistance, children and women were expelled, and men aging from 15 to 60 were gathered in a house.