In 1596, Sarafand al-Kubra was under the administration of the nahiya ("subdistrict") of Ramla, part of the Liwa of Gaza in the Ottoman tax records.

They paid a fixed tax-rate of 25% on agricultural products, including wheat, barley, sesame, fruit, orchards, beehives, and goats; a total of 14,000 akçe.

[7] The Egyptian Sufi traveler Mustafa al-Dumyuti al-Luqaymi (d. 1764) reported visiting the shrine of Luqman (Luke) in Sarafand.

[10] In 1863 Victor Guérin found here cut stones belonging to some old buildings, and two cisterns, apparently ancient.

[12][13] In 1882, the PEF's Survey of Western Palestine (SWP) described Sarafand al-ajar as a village built of adobe bricks and situated on rising ground; a few olive trees were scattered around it.

Adjacent to it was the al-Raja ("Hope") Orphanage set up for the children of Palestinians killed during the 1936–39 Arab revolt in Palestine.

The Palestinian Arab newspaper Filastin noted that none of the Jewish workers in the camp had reported to work that day, implying that Zionist groups had warned them of an attack.

According to a New York Times report, the attackers penetrated "deep into Arab territory" and demolished a three-storey building.

The Haganah charged that the building was used by the Holy War Army of Hasan Salama, Palestinian guerrilla commander of the Jaffa district, and that 39 people were killed in the raid.

[5] As the British Army evacuated Palestine in mid-May, they allowed Arab forces to take over the military base on May 14.

According to Palestinian historian Walid Khalidi, "the site, which contains what may be the largest Israeli army camp as well as an airbase, has been designated as a military base.