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Nahal Oz (kibbutz)

Coordinates: 31°28′21″N 34°29′50″E / 31.47250°N 34.49722°E / 31.47250; 34.49722
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This article is about the Kibbutz. For the military base, see Nahal Oz attack and 2014 Nahal Oz attack.
Nahal Oz
נחל עוז
ناحل عوز
Nahal Oz is located in Northwest Negev region of Israel
Nahal Oz
Nahal Oz
Nahal Oz is located in Israel
Nahal Oz
Nahal Oz
Coordinates: 31°28′21″N 34°29′50″E / 31.47250°N 34.49722°E / 31.47250; 34.49722
Country Israel
DistrictSouthern
CouncilSha'ar HaNegev
AffiliationKibbutz Movement
Founded1951
Founded byNahal
Population
 (2022)[1]
479
Websitewww.nahaloz.org.il
(in Hebrew)

Nahal Oz (Hebrew: נחל עוז, lit. "Mighty Stream"[a]) is a kibbutz in southern Israel. Located in the northwestern part of the Negev desert close to the border with the Gaza Strip and near the development towns of Sderot and Netivot, it is under the jurisdiction of Sha'ar HaNegev Regional Council. In 2022, it had a population of 479.[1] A nearby IDF military base is known by the same name.

History

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Establishment

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The kibbutz was founded in 1951 as the country's first Nahal settlement. It was initially referred to as Nahlayim Mul Aza (Hebrew: נחלאים מול עזה, lit. Nahal soldiers across from Gaza). In 1953 it became a civilian community. Most members came from Israeli cities and were close to Mapai.

Murder of Ro'i Rothberg and Moshe Dayan's eulogy

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Main article: Death and eulogy of Ro'i Rothberg

In April 1956, the kibbutz security officer Ro'i Rothberg was ambushed and killed by infiltrators from Gaza.[2][3] Rutenberg's funeral was attended by Moshe Dayan,[4] then Chief of Staff, who gave a widely acclaimed eulogy which called upon Israel to search its soul and probe the national mindset.

"Early yesterday morning Roi was murdered. The quiet of the spring morning dazzled him and he did not see those waiting in ambush for him, at the edge of the furrow. Let us not cast the blame on the murderers today. Why should we declare their burning hatred for us? For eight years they have been sitting in the refugee camps in Gaza, and before their eyes we have been transforming the lands and the villages, where they and their fathers dwelt, into our estate. It is not among the Arabs in Gaza, but in our own midst that we must seek Roi's blood. How did we shut our eyes and refuse to look squarely at our fate, and see, in all its brutality, the destiny of our generation? Have we forgotten that this group of young people dwelling at Nahal Oz is bearing the heavy gates of Gaza on its shoulders? Beyond the furrow of the border, a sea of hatred and desire for revenge is swelling, awaiting the day when serenity will dull our path, for the day when we will heed the ambassadors of malevolent hypocrisy who call upon us to lay down our arms. Roi's blood is crying out to us and only to us from his torn body. Although we have sworn a thousandfold that our blood shall not flow in vain, yesterday again we were tempted, we listened, we believed.
We will make our reckoning with ourselves today; we are a generation that settles the land and without the steel helmet and the cannon's maw, we will not be able to plant a tree and build a home. Let us not be deterred from seeing the loathing that is inflaming and filling the lives of the hundreds of thousands of Arabs who live around us. Let us not avert our eyes lest our arms weaken. This is the fate of our generation. This is our life's choice—to be prepared and armed, strong and determined, lest the sword be stricken from our fist and our lives cut down. The young Roi who left Tel Aviv to build his home at the gates of Gaza to be a wall for us was blinded by the light in his heart and he did not see the flash of the sword. The yearning for peace deafened his ears and he did not hear the voice of murder waiting in ambush. The gates of Gaza weighed too heavily on his shoulders and overcame him."[5][6]

1997-2023 events

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Privatization of the kibbutz began in 1997.[citation needed]

After the 2006 Lebanon War, Israeli novelist David Grossman, who lost his son in the war, delivered a eulogy that was compared to Dayan's eulogy for Ro'i Rothberg.[citation needed]

On 22 August 2014, during Operation Protective Edge, four-year-old resident of the kibbutz Daniel Tregerman was killed by mortar fire from the Gaza Strip.[7]

2023 Hamas-led attack

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Main article: Nahal Oz attack

In October 2023, dozens of Hamas terrorists entered Nahal Oz during the 2023 Hamas-led attack on Israel.[8][9][10][11] The militants attacked the nearby military post, killing 41 members of the Golani Brigade and 20 soldiers in the Combat Intelligence Collection Corps.[12][13] The militants deployed a flammable substance against the soldiers at the base, which also released toxic gases that caused suffocation.[14]

Aftermath of the attack

Some of the militants also broke into the kibbutz, killing 15 civillians and taking 8 others hostage.[15][16] The kibbutz was held by Hamas for 12 hours, until the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) killed the militants and took back control of the kibbutz.[17][18] Hamas also took hostage a family of five, both parents and their three children, and retreated with them to Gaza. The kidnapping was livestreamed by militants using the mother's phone, alerting the rest of the family of the kidnapping.[19][20] Arson and vandalism carried out by Hamas militants left a significant number of homes destroyed or uninhabitable, leading to the displacement of the residents of the kibbutz.[21]

Economy

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The kibbutz grows carrots, cotton and wheat, and operates a dairy with 600 cows. Past sources of income include a metal works factory that produced industrial-sized ratchet bits and a high tech firm, OzVision, that links security cameras to the Web.[22] In February 2023, a team from Israel’s National Infrastructure Committee came to inspect the area in preparation for building a 1,720-hectare (4,250-acre) solar panel field along the border.[23]

Notable residents

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  • Dining Room
    Dining Room
  • Memorial site
    Memorial site
  • Memorial site
    Memorial site

Notes

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  1. ^ The name ""Mighty Stream, Hebrew: נחל עוז is a pun with Hebrew: נַחַ"ל עֹז, lit. "Mighty Nahal"

References

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  1. ^ a b "Regional Statistics". Israel Central Bureau of Statistics. Retrieved 21 March 2024.
  2. ^ Morris, Benny (1997) [first published 1993]. Israel's Border Wars, 1949-1956: Arab Infiltration, Israeli Retaliation, and the Countdown to the Suez War (Revised ed.). Oxford: Clarendon Press. pp. 393–396. ISBN 9780198292623.
  3. ^ Eyadat, Fadi (4 June 2008). "Nahal Oz Hopes to Outsmart Gaza Attackers". Haaretz. Retrieved 17 April 2019.
  4. ^ Dayan stayed in Nahal Oz just when Ro'i was murdered and described the situation in the kibbutz during these days: Dayan, Moshe (1978). Living with the Bible. London: Weidenfeld & Nicolson. p. 162–166. ISBN 0-297-77528-6..
  5. ^ Shapira, Anita (2012). Israel: A History. Translated by Berris, Anthony. Lebanon, New Hampshire: University Press of New England. p. 271. ISBN 9781611683530. Retrieved 17 April 2019.
  6. ^ Omer Bartov, As a former IDF soldier and historian of genocide, I was deeply disturbed by my recent visit to Israel The Guardian 13 August 2024
  7. ^ Tzuri, Matan (23 August 2014). "Israelis seek response from Messi: 'You were Daniel's Hero'". Ynetnews. Retrieved 17 April 2019.
  8. ^ McKernan, Bethan; Kierszenbaum, Quique (9 October 2023). "'They are in my house': kibbutz survivors tell of Hamas attack". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 9 December 2023.
  9. ^ Beaule, Victoria. "A detailed look at how Hamas secretly crossed into Israel". ABC News. Retrieved 9 December 2023.
  10. ^ Zuri, Matan (8 October 2023). "The fierce battle of Kfar Aza continues: " The biggest nightmare of the gaza envelope residents came true"". Ynet (in Hebrew). Retrieved 11 October 2023.
  11. ^ "Seven communities under Hamas control: report". The Guardian. 7 October 2023.
  12. ^ "Authorities name 425 soldiers, 59 police officers killed in Gaza war". Times of Israel.
  13. ^ "המג"ד שאיבד 41 לוחמים ביום אחד: "חשבתי רק על היישובים" | חדשות 13". רשת 13 (in Hebrew). Retrieved 9 December 2023.
  14. ^ Hamas used toxic substance to kill Nahal Oz troops on Oct. 7, IDF probe said to show. For Times of Israel by TOI staff, 13 Dec 2023 (posted & accessed).
  15. ^ https://www.israelhayom.com/2024/07/28/exclusive-new-details-of-hamas-attack-on-nahal-oz/
  16. ^ "Retired Israeli general saves family after Hamas swarms home". NewsNation. 17 October 2023. Retrieved 9 December 2023.
  17. ^ "Surprise attack on Israel: 250 murdered, dozens of hostages taken". Globes. 7 October 2023. Retrieved 11 October 2023.
  18. ^ "Hamas Leaves Trail of Terror in Israel". The New York Times. 10 October 2023. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 11 October 2023.
  19. ^ "Stav was horrified to see his family kidnapped to Gaza: "The terrorists took everyone - my sister is only 8 years old"". Walla! (in Hebrew). 8 October 2023. Retrieved 11 October 2023.
  20. ^ "Five members of Nitzan family have been kidnapped to Gaza: "Do everything to find a life signal"". Israel Hayom. 8 October 2023. Retrieved 11 October 2023.
  21. ^ "The Evacuated Kibbutzniks' Journey to a New Life"". Calcalist. 7 December 2023. Retrieved 7 December 2023.
  22. ^ Living on the Edge in Kibbutz Nahal Oz
  23. ^ Turmoil and tears: A gritty glimpse into Gaza border riots
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