The progenitor of the Banu Qadhadhfa was Amr Qadhadhf al-Dam (عمرو قذاف الدم), who claimed to be a descendant of Musa al-Kadhim.
They are notable for their role in the 1969 coup d'état that deposed King Idris of Libya and as the tribe of his successor Muammar Gaddafi.
Their dominance of the region caused Sirte to grow and become comparable to Tripoli and Benghazi in terms of national power.
Qadhadhfa influence caused Sirte and Sabha to become completely loyal to Gaddafi during his rule of the country.
[2] After Gaddafi's death in October 2011, leading members of the Qadhadhfa demanded the return of his body by Misratan fighters for burial by relatives in Sirte.