 'Arab Hasan 's son Husayn Pasha was governor of Nablus and Jerusalem , and inherited the impoverished governorship of Gaza when his father died . He borrowed a large sum from the French in order to meet the heavy taxes imposed on the city by Hassan Aga , governor Sidon Eyalet — the province that Gaza briefly belonged to . Husayn 's period in office was peaceful and prosperous for the city , and he gained a good reputation for considerably reducing the strife between the nearby Bedouins and the settled population . He appointed his son Ibrahim to be governor of the Gaza and Jerusalem sanjaks , but when Ibrahim was killed during an expedition against the Druze in Mount Lebanon in 1660 , Husayn resumed control of Gaza . That year , Gaza was designated the capital of Palestine , indicating the city 's rapid recovery . The Great Mosque was restored , and six other mosques constructed , while Turkish baths and market stalls proliferated . Anonymous petitions from Damascus sent to Istanbul complaining about Husayn 's failure to protect the Hajj caravan and his alleged pro @-@ Christian tendencies , however , served as an excuse for the Ottoman government to depose him . He was soon imprisoned in Damascus and his assets confiscated by provincial authorities . He was later sent to Istanbul and died in prison there in 1663 . 
