Netiv HaAsara

For the former Israeli settlement in the Sinai Peninsula, see Netiv HaAsara, Sinai.
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 / 31.57083°N 34.53944°E / 31.57083; 34.53944
Country Israel
DistrictSouthern
CouncilHof Ashkelon
AffiliationMoshavim Movement
Founded1982
Founded byNetiv HaAsara (Sinai) residents
Population
 (2022)[1]
948
Websitewww.netiv-10.co.il

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 2022 it had a population of 948.[1]

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]

On 25 August 2007, Palestinian militants from the Popular Resistance Committees and Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine attempted to enter Netiv HaAsara from Gaza. The militants used a ladder to scale the Israel-Gaza border, and two militants were killed by the Israel Defense Forces.[8]

In the 7 October 2023 Netiv HaAsara massacre as part of the 2023 Hamas attack on Israel, at least 20 of the moshav's residents were killed by Hamas.[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. ^ a b "Regional Statistics". Israel Central Bureau of Statistics. Retrieved 21 March 2024.
  2. ^ a b c 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. ^ "Fighters killed at Gaza crossing". Al Jazeera English. 2007-08-25. Retrieved 20 November 2023.
  9. ^ "Border town identifies at least 20 of its residents killed in Hamas attack". The Times of Israel. Archived from the original on 7 October 2023. Retrieved 9 October 2023.
  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)