The town contains the supposed grave of Salama Abu Hashim, a companion of the Islamic prophet Muhammad.

[3][4] According to modern toponymic analysis, Salamah /Salami/ originally consists of a formation of the semitic root Š-L-M“to yield, pay”, with the Aramaic suffix -ā.

In 1596, under Ottoman rule, Salamah was a village in the nahiya of Ramla (liwa of Gaza), with a population of 17 Muslim households, an estimated 94 persons.

They paid a fixed tax-rate of 25% on agricultural products, including wheat and barley, as well as on other types of property, such as goats and beehives; a total of 1,000 Akçe.

'[20]Benny Morris goes on to explain, "The destruction of most of the sites was governed by the cogent military consideration that, should they be left intact, irregulars, or, come the expected invasion, Arab regular troops, would reoccupy and use them as bases for future attacks.

Though there was no explicit mention of the prospective treatment of the villagers, the order spoke of "cleansing the area" [tihur hashetah].

[22] The final operational order stated: "Civilian inhabitants of places conquered would be permitted to leave after they are searched for weapons."

The Arab troops and the 12,000 civilians there had fled down a narrow escape corridor which the Jews purposely had kept open.

[27] Settlement of the depopulated village with Jewish war refugees, and later by new immigrants, began two weeks after its conquest.