Netiv HaAsara

Netiv HaAsara (Hebrew: נְתִיב הָעֲשָׂרָה, lit.'Path of the Ten') is a moshav in southern Israel. Located in the north-west Negev, just at the northern border with the Gaza Strip, it falls under the jurisdiction of Hof Ashkelon Regional Council. In 2021 it had a population of 900.[1]

Netiv HaAsara
נְתִיב הָעֲשָׂרָה
Etymology: Path of the Ten
Netiv HaAsara is located in Ashkelon region of Israel
Netiv HaAsara
Netiv HaAsara
Netiv HaAsara is located in Israel
Netiv HaAsara
Netiv HaAsara
Coordinates: 31°34′15″N 34°32′22″E
Country Israel
DistrictSouthern
CouncilHof Ashkelon
AffiliationMoshavim Movement
Founded1982
Founded byNetiv HaAsara (Sinai) residents
Population
 (2021)[1]
900
Websitewww.netiv-10.co.il

History

The moshav was founded in 1982 by 70 families who were residents of the former Israeli settlement of Netiv HaAsara in the Sinai Peninsula, which was evacuated as a result of the Camp David Accords.[2] The original moshav had been named for ten soldiers that were killed in a helicopter accident south of Rafah in 1971, and was originally named "Minyan".[3]

After the Israeli disengagement from Gaza in 2005, Netiv HaAsara became the closest community in Israel to the Gaza Strip, located 400 meters away from the edge of the Palestinian town of Beit Lahia. At the southern edge of the village, a car park was converted into an Israel Defense Forces base and tanks were deployed. An electric fence was erected to stop infiltration attempts from Gaza, and three concrete walls were built against potential Palestinian snipers.[2]

The moshav was a target of Qassam rockets,[2] Katyusha rockets,[4] and mortar shellings,[5] In 2007, the Popular Resistance Committees sent two guerrillas to infiltrate the moshav, but they were killed by the IDF.[6]

Dana Galkowicz, a 22-year-old Israeli-Brazilian woman, was killed on 14 July 2005 at Netiv HaAsara by a Qassam rocket. On 10 January 2007, a nine year old school girl was killed. On 10 March 2010, a Thai worker was killed.[7]

Fifteen residents of the moshav have been confirmed killed in the 7 October 2023 Netiv HaAsara attack, as part of the October 2023 Gaza−Israel conflict, in which more than 1,400 Israelis were massacred by Hamas, most of them were unarmed civilians.[8][9]

Tourism

In the 2010s Netiv HaAsara became an increasingly popular tourist attraction among foreign visitors drawn to a community where ordinary life continues despite constant threat of rocket attacks from neighboring Gaza. An observation platform designed by architect Zvi Pasternak - expected to open in spring 2018 - will enable visitors to see Gaza City to the south and Ashkelon to the north.[10]

The Path to Peace wall mosaic art project and educational center is located on the border between Gaza and Israel at Netiv HaAsara.[11][12]

References

  1. "Regional Statistics". Israel Central Bureau of Statistics. Retrieved 22 February 2023.
  2. Berg, Raffi (November 18, 2005). "Israelis on the frontline with Gaza". BBC. Retrieved April 18, 2019.
  3. El'azari, Yuval, ed. (2005). Mapa's concise gazetteer of Israel (in Hebrew). Tel Aviv: Mapa Publishing. p. 381. ISBN 965-7184-34-7.
  4. Katz, Yaakov (May 16, 2006). "Katyusha rocket fired at Netiv Ha'asara". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved April 18, 2019.
  5. Hadad, Shmulik (January 31, 2008). "8 mortar shells hit community of Netiv HaAsara". YNet News. Retrieved April 18, 2019.
  6. Greenberg, Hanan (August 25, 2007). "IDF forces foil terror plot". YNet News. Retrieved April 18, 2019.
  7. Galkowicz, Natan (2007-08-25). "Victims of Terror". Foreign Ministry of Israel. Retrieved 2010-03-25.
  8. "Border town identifies at least 15 of its residents killed in Hamas attack". www.timesofisrael.com. Retrieved 2023-10-08.
  9. "After blast kills hundreds at Gaza hospital, Hamas and Israel trade blame as rage spreads in region". AP News. 2023-10-17. Retrieved 2023-10-19.
  10. Gilad, Moshe (20 January 2018). "Tourism Boom Takes on a Whole New Meaning as Thrill-seeking Adventurers Flock to Israel-Gaza Border". Haaretz. Retrieved 21 January 2018.
  11. "About".
  12. "Living under a cloud of terror in the land of milk and honey" Solaris Traveller (Jan. 5, 2019) (accessed Feb. 20, 2023)
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