Sufa | |
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  Sufa  Sufa | |
| Coordinates:31°14′14″N34°20′29″E / 31.23722°N 34.34139°E /31.23722; 34.34139 | |
| Country | Israel |
| District | Southern |
| Council | Eshkol |
| Affiliation | Kibbutz Movement |
| Founded | 1982 |
| Founded by | Evacuatedsettlers |
| Population (2023)[1] | 223 |
| Website | www.sufa.org |
Sufa (Hebrew:סוּפָה,lit. 'Storm') is akibbutz in southernIsrael. Located in theHevel Shalom area of the north-westernNegev desert, it falls under the jurisdiction ofEshkol Regional Council. In 2023 it had a population of 223.[1]
A border crossing between Israel and theGaza Strip named after the kibbutz was located nearby, but was closed permanently by Israel in 2008.[2]
The kibbutz was founded in 1982 by former residents ofSufa, anIsraeli settlement inSinai which was evacuated as part of theEgyptian-Israeli Peace Treaty. Its name is derived from the severedust storms which occurred in the original settlement. To the north of the kibbutz, whereNirim was between the years 1946–1949, lies the memorial site "Dangur", commemorating the casualties of theEgyptian attack on Nirim and a memorial for the eight fallen soldiers.[3]
Sufa was one of the Israeli villages brieflyunder Hamas control at the start of theGaza war,[4] with three residents killed.[5] A women's tank platoon of theCaracal Battalion was crucial for recapturing the kibbutz.[6]
The Sufa border crossing was used by Palestinians working on Israeli farms. During theSecond Intifada (2000–2005), the border crossing and the military base next to it were subject to several Palestinian attacks, and the crossing was intermittently closed.[7][8] In October 2007, the crossing was closed, leaving theKerem Shalomcrossing as the only point of entry. In November, despiteIDF objections saying it was harder to guard than Kerem Shalom, DeputyDefense MinisterMatan Vilnai decided to reopen the crossing.[9] It was then used to transfer humanitarian assistance to the Strip.[10]
In May 2008 the crossing was once again closed following a mortar attack which wounded an IDF soldier.[11] A few days later, thousands of Palestinians protested the Israeli blockade. Six people were reported wounded by the IDF in that incident.[12] On 1 June about forty Israeli farmers protested at the crossing, in a bid to stop the transportation of goods into the Strip despite the ongoingQassam rocket barrages.[11][13] As a result, the Sufa border crossing was permanently closed in 2008.[2]
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