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Eshkol Regional Council

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31°18′10″N 34°25′53″E / 31.30278°N 34.43139°E / 31.30278; 34.43139

Eshkol
אשכול
إشكول
Regional council (from 1951)
Map
Interactive map of Eshkol
CountryIsrael
DistrictSouthern
SubdistrictBeersheba
Government
 • Head of MunicipalityGadi Yarkoni
Area
 • Total
735,520 dunams (735.52 km2; 283.99 sq mi)
Population
 (2014)
 • Total
12,800
 • Density17.4/km2 (45.1/sq mi)
WebsiteOfficial website

Eshkol Regional Council (Hebrew: מועצה אזורית אשכול, Mo'atza Ezorit Eshkol) is a regional council in the north-western Negev, in Israel's Southern District. Located within the zone known as the Gaza envelope, the regional council's territory is situated east of the Gaza Strip, stretching in the area between Ashkelon to the north and Beersheba to the east.

Due to its direct proximity to the Gaza Strip, the region has been the target of thousands of rocket attacks, mortar strikes, and incendiary balloon fires since 2000. The council area served as a primary locale of the 2023 October 7 attacks, bearing the brunt of a massive, coordinated invasion by thousands of Hamas militants that included multiple devastating assaults within its territory, such as the Nova music festival massacre, the Nir Oz attack, and the Be'eri massacre.

Transport

Eshkol Regional Council is linked to Tel Aviv by bus routes 379 (local) and route 479 (express), to Be'er Sheva by bus route 35, to Ashkelon by bus route 36 and to Jerusalem by bus 495. Inside the regional council's territory there are six bus routes linking the kibbutzim and the moshavim to the regional council offices. All bus routes are operated by Dan BaDarom.

Security

The Eshkol region has been the target of thousands of rocket attacks since 2000. Despite Iron Dome coverage in the region, usage of the system is generally limited to populated areas and allows other rockets to land in open areas. As a result, there has been widespread damage to farms, vehicles and various outlying structures.[1][2] During the 2014 Israel–Gaza conflict, farmers reported massive damages to their crops due to rockets landing in open fields.[3][4]

On 26 August 2014 a mortar shell fired from Gaza killed two people and seriously wounded a third on Kibbutz Nirim, in the Eshkol Regional Council.[5]

Since 2016, the region has experienced waves of fires caused by incendiary balloons released from Gaza. The fires have caused widespread damage to farms and local infrastructure.[6][7] More than 100 fires were reported in June 2019 alone, with reported damage to at least 4,500 acres of farmland.[8][9] This tactic by Hamas and other militant groups in Gaza (Palestinian Islamic Jihad) is considered to be a form of agro-terrorism.[10]

During the October 7 attacks multiple attacks occurred in the regional council, including the Nova music festival massacre, the Nir Oz attack, and the Be'eri massacre.

Villages

Kibbutzim

Moshavim

Other locations

Voting Patterns

In the 2022 election, 64 percent of voters in the regional council voted for the parties of the center-left coalition led by Yair Lapid, while 35 percent voted for the parties of the right-wing coalition led by Benjamin Netanyahu and 0.5 percent voted for the Arab parties.[11]

References

  1. ↑ "Two rockets explode in Eshkol Regional Council; damage caused to vehicle". Ynetnews. 23 July 2014. Retrieved 11 August 2014.
  2. ↑ "2 Rockets Explode in Eshkol Regional Council Causing Property Damage". Israel National News. 10 August 2014. Retrieved 11 August 2014.
  3. ↑ Curiel, Ilana (23 November 2012). "Gaza vicinity farmers suffer millions in damages". Ynetnews. Retrieved 11 August 2014.
  4. ↑ Curiel, Ilana (22 August 2014). "Residents of rocket-battered Eshkol flee again". Ynetnews. Retrieved 26 August 2014.
  5. ↑ Hartman, Ben (26 August 2014). "Second Israeli fatality declared after earlier mortar attack". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved 26 August 2014.
  6. ↑ Ben Porat, Ido (25 June 2019). "Fire breaks out in Eshkol-region community". Israel National News. Retrieved 2 October 2020.
  7. ↑ Tsuri, Matan; Zituna, Yoav (27 June 2019). "Dozens of fires are daily nightmare for frustrated Israelis along Gaza border". Ynetnews. Retrieved 16 November 2020.
  8. ↑ Gross, Judah Ari. "Beyond kites: 'Fire balloons' increasingly used to set southern Israel ablaze". Times of Israel. Retrieved 29 August 2019.
  9. ↑ Gross, Judah Ari. "Gaza incendiary balloons spark dozens of fires in southern Israel". Times of Israel. Retrieved 29 August 2019.
  10. ↑ "Arson Terrorism: A new method devised by Hamas during the "return marches" to attack the communities near the Gaza Strip and disrupt their daily lives". The Meir Amit Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center. 19 June 2018. Retrieved 29 August 2019.
  11. ↑ "The true results of the elections for the 25th Knesset". Israel: Central Elections Committee. 1 November 2022. Retrieved 7 July 2026.
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