Nirim נִירִים نيريم | |
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  Nirim  Nirim | |
| Coordinates:31°20′6″N34°23′45″E / 31.33500°N 34.39583°E /31.33500; 34.39583 | |
| Country | Israel |
| District | Southern |
| Council | Eshkol |
| Affiliation | Kibbutz Movement |
| Founded | 6 October 1946 |
| Founded by | Hashomer Hatzair members |
Area | 22,000 dunams (22 km2 or 8 sq mi) |
| Population (2022)[1] | 416 |
| • Density | 19/km2 (49/sq mi) |
| Website | www.nirim.co.il |
Nirim (Hebrew:נִירִים,lit. plowed fields) is akibbutz in the northwesternNegev inIsrael. Located near the border with theGaza Strip, about 7 kilometres (4.3 mi) east ofKhan Yunis, it falls under the jurisdiction ofEshkol Regional Council.[2] In 2022 it had a population of 416.[1]
The kibbutz was established in October 1946 as part of the11 points in the Negev plan aimed at establishing aJewish presence in the Negev in order to claim it as part of a futureJewish state.[3] It was named after the Nir brigade of theHashomer Hatzair youth movement, some of whose members helped establish the kibbutz, and was originally established on a site called "Dangour", where kibbutzSufa is now.[2] One of the founders wasDan Zur [he], who became one of Israel's leading landscape architects.[4]
At the outbreak of the1948 Arab–Israeli War on 15 May 1948, the kibbutz was first Jewish settlement in Israel to be attacked by theEgyptian army, in theBattle of Nirim.[3] It had 39 defenders.[5] During the battle, the Egyptians came within 25 meters of the kibbutz perimeter and eight of the kibbutz defenders were killed, before Egyptians withdrew.[3] All of the houses were destroyed in the attack.[5]
Nirim remained anIsrael Defense Forces (IDF) outpost against the Egyptian army throughout the war.[citation needed]
In 1948, the family ofSalman Abu Sitta was forcibly expelled from the area, and their land, which was then known asMa'in Abu Sitta, subsequently used to expand the kibbutz.[6]
After the war, the IDF wanted the site because of its strategic location, while the kibbutzniks wanted to move north, to the line of 200 millimeters of rain a year, so the kibbutz moved some 12 kilometers northeast to its present location,[when?] next to the site of an ancientsynagogue atHorvat Maon. During theMapam split of 1952,Moshe Sneh's supporters were banished from the kibbutz. Until 1956, it was targeted byFedayeen attacks from the Gaza Strip.[2]
Since 2000, Nirim has been hit byQassam rockets fired from the Gaza Strip. After Israel's launching ofOperation Cast Lead, in January 2009, most of Nirim's members, as well as other villages near the Gaza Strip, were evacuated. Dozens of families from Nirim stayed at kibbutzMishmar HaEmek in theJezreel Valley for a month, until the end of the operation.[3] On August 26, 2014, on the last day of Operation Protective Edge, the head of security, Ze'ev "Ze'evik" Etzion and the assistant head of security Shachar Melamed, were killed in a rocket attack. They were both working with a team of electricians and other kibbutz members, attempting to reinstate the electricity to the community after the high voltage tower that supplied electricity to the whole kibbutz was hit by a rocket earlier the same day. The same rocket attack that killed Ze'evik and Shachar, blew off the legs of Gadi Yarkoni, who has since been elected mayor of the Eshkol Regional Council, and currently serving his second term.[citation needed]
Nirim was one of the Israeli villages attacked byHamas forces in the2023 Hamas-led attack on Israel. At least five people were killed in the attack and many were injured.[7] Some members of the kibbutz were kidnapped to Gaza. About seven hours after the forces entered the kibbutz, IDF soldiers killed nine Hamas fighters that were still there.[8] TheHamas forces inflicted significant damage upon the kibbutz. In response, a crowdfunding initiative was initiated to support the kibbutz's restoration, amassing over half a millionshekels within just a few days.[9]
Nirim producesorganically grown peanuts, sweet potatoes, turnips, carrots, wheat, barley, avocado and other vegetables, and exports them toEurope. The farmers work the land right up to theGaza Strip barrier.[3] After Israel'sdisengagement from Gaza in 2005, theDefense Ministry decided to construct a security strip in the area surrounding Gaza, which was to run through Nirim agricultural territory. Nirim was asked to concedeNIS 1 million of its compensation funds.[10]
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