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Gaza envelope

Extended-protected article
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
(Redirected from Gaza Strip Envelope)

Gaza Envelope
Region in Israel
Darom Adom festival Anemone coronaria flowers
Sderot market
Ashkelon beach
Nir Oz in Purim 2018
Tel Gama nature reserve
Zikim beach
Red carpet of Anemone coronaria flowers in Shokeda forest
Types of settlementsKibbutz, villages, towns
Largest townAshkelon, Sderot
Layout of the border barrier separating the Gaza Envelope from the Gaza Strip, September 2023.
A concrete shelter in the Gaza envelope
The Gaza envelope is defined as the territory in Israel that is within 7 km of the Gaza Strip. The lines on the map are based on the amount of time residents have to seek shelter from rockets from the Gaza Strip.
A Merkava Mark IV tank patrols the Gaza border (February 2012)

The Gaza envelope (Hebrew: עוטף עזה, Otef Aza) is a modern administrative and security term that has become the common designation for the area in southern Israel immediately abutting the Gaza Strip, forming part of the broader, historic Western Negev (Hebrew: הַנֶּגֶב הַמַּעֲרָבִי, HaNegev HaMa'aravi) region.

Technically, the term specifies towns, kibbutzim, and moshavim situated within seven kilometres (4+1⁄2 miles) of the border, defining the core zone targeted by rocket and mortar attacks launched from Gaza.[1] The region has long been the target of cross-border violence, culminating in a massive, coordinated invasion by Hamas and allied militants during the 2023 October 7 attacks.

The area is known for the Anemone coronaria flowering during spring, which is celebrated in the Darom Adom festival. Most of the population in the area resides in kibbutzim.

Terminology and administrative definition

The Hebrew noun otef (עוֹטֶף), meaning "envelope" or "wrapper," came into use to spatially designate the ring of communities immediately abutting the border. The specific term Otef Aza (Gaza Envelope) dates back to 2003 under the leadership of Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, emerging in the wake of cross-border rocket fire from the Gaza Strip.[2]

The definition was established through a series of government resolutions beginning on May 1, 2003, which initially encompassed localities within six kilometers of the border.[2]

Government decisions on July 4, 2004, and August 1, 2004 formally defined a 7-kilometer Gaza Strip Envelope for peacetime economic and social support and later emergency evacuation plans. This criteria encompassed the city of Sderot and 44 communities across the Sha'ar HaNegev, Hof Ashkelon, Sdot Negev, and Eshkol Regional Councils, based on the estimated range of Hamas rockets at the time.[3]

History

The border between Israel and the Gaza Strip was established in the 1949 Armistice Agreement between Israel and Egypt, signed at the end of the 1948 Arab–Israeli War, and was further defined in the agreement of February 1950. Many communities on the Israeli side of the border (such as Sa'ad and Nirim) were established even before that, while others (such as Sderot and Nahal Oz) were founded not long after the demarcation of the border. However, the term "Gaza envelope" has been applied to these communities only in the 21st century.

Following Israel's unilateral disengagement from the Gaza Strip in 2005, there was an increase in cross-border shelling and rocket attacks into Israel.[4] Data collected by the Israeli Security Agency showed an increase in shelling from 401 shells in 2005 rising year-on-year to 2,048 in 2008 before falling back to 569 in 2009.[4] In response to the increase in shelling, in 2007 the Knesset passed the "Assistance to Sderot and the Western Negev (Temporary Provision) Law, 2007",[5] which recognized these communities (and additional communities in the area designated by the Minister of Finance's order[6]) as "Confrontation-line Communities" and gave them special privileges (temporarily, until the end of 2008). Additional legislative measures extended the validity of some of the benefits, with certain changes, until the end of 2014.[7] This area came to be known colloquially as the "Gaza envelope".[8]

In June 2014, it was reported that the Home Front Command decided to cut the budget of the Coordinators of Comprehensive Security ("Ravshatzim") in communities in the Gaza envelope. Leaders of the authorities in the Gaza envelope turned to the Minister of Defense, Moshe Ya'alon, in a letter to cancel this decision.[9] Shortly thereafter, the 2014 Gaza War began, during which the communities in the Gaza envelope were subjected to rocket and mortar attacks. In addition, combat tunnels were exposed, penetrating from the Gaza Strip into Israel, and there were several incidents where militants entered through the tunnels and attacked IDF soldiers. As a result of the fighting, many residents evacuated their homes.[10]

In the 2014 Gaza War, impacts to residents in the Gaza envelope was greater than that of other Israeli citizens, due to their exposure to short-range rocket fire, extensive mortar shelling, and several casualties. Another threat to the residents of the Gaza periphery was the underground tunnels from the Gaza Strip into Israel. Many such tunnels were destroyed in the 2014 Gaza War, and the excavation and destruction continued in the years that followed.

After several years of calm following the 2014 Gaza War, during which plans were made for the emergency evacuation of communities in the Gaza envelope,[11] on March 30, 2018, clashes began at the Gaza–Israel barrier – a series of mass protests in the Gaza Strip.

Damage caused by fire-kites, launched from the Gaza Strip

As part of the protests, Palestinian activists and militants clashed with the Israel Defense Forces near the system fence around the Gaza Strip. Thousands of Palestinians approached the fence, with some throwing stones and Molotov cocktail and explosive devices. The events continued since then,[when?] including the launching of incendiary kites from the Gaza Strip into Israel with the aim of igniting areas beyond the fence. As a result hundreds of fires occurred in the Gaza envelope, burning hundreds of hectares of fields and forests, as well as agricultural facilities.

In August 2018, hundreds of rockets and mortar shells were fired towards communities in the Gaza envelope.[12]

Hamas attack in 2023 and rebuilding

In the October 7 attacks, Hamas and allied militants from the Gaza Strip infiltrated several communities in the Gaza envelope, with 1,195 people killed and many more injured, as well as taking about 250 Israeli hostages. The Be'eri massacre and Nova festival massacre as well as other massacres were carried out during the attack by Hamas and its allies,[13][additional citation(s) needed] initiating the Gaza war. Over 1,200 rockets were fired at the city of Ashkelon as of October 24.[timeframe?] Therefore Ashkelon was designated as a community whose residents and business owners are entitled to compensation from the state also for indirect war damage caused to them for one year.[citation needed]

Fires in Israel near the Gaza strip - 7 October 2023. Image is about 48 kilometers wide.

After the attacks, most residents were evacuated by Israeli authorities to various locations throughout Israel, while there was also a gradual reopening of operations in the different communities.[14] The attack solidified a breakdown in trust between Gaza envelope residents and the Israeli state, as residents blame the state for failing to protect them from years of rocket fire and ultimately, infiltration by Palestinian armed militants. Many residents expressed unwillingness to return to their homes until full security was ensured by the Israeli state.[15]

On October 19, the Israeli government created a new agency called the Tkuma Directorate to rebuild the communities devastated by the October 7 attacks. The agency had a 5-year mandate and was headed by Moshe Edri [he], chairman of the Israel Atomic Energy Commission, who reported directly to Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The agency's focus was the regional councils within 7 kilometers of Gaza: Eshkol, Hof Ashkelon, Sdot Negev, and Sha’ar HaNegev. The government allocated $308 million to the agency, charged with physically rebuilding the destroyed areas, improve trust in the government, and serve as a "unified central response".[15]

The Israeli government subsequently approved a 5-year $4.9 billion plan to rehabilitate and develop the Gaza envelope area. Returning residents who receive up to $275,000, depending on how close to the border they live, and new residents would be eligible for up to $137,000. The plan called for a discount on the municipal property tax, a temporary corporate tax cut, and preferential treatment for local vendors.[16]

Economy

The envelope's economy is mostly made up of agriculture, high-technology agriculture as well as some manufactured goods.[17] Sderot, a city of 30,000 residents, also houses a local industrial park.[18]

Following the October 7 attacks, major American philanthropic efforts, including more than $200 million allocated by UJA-Federation, are supporting regional economic recovery, community rebuilding, and local employment.[19]

Festivals

Every year, the Darom Adom festival is held in the area. The festival celebrates the flowering of Anemone coronaria.[20]

The Cinema South International Film Festival is held in Sapir Academic College, Sderot every year. The festival shows films made up by people who live in the region and in the Western Negev.[21]

Education

Sapir Academic College

Sapir Academic College is located near Sderot. As of 2024, the college had 6,000 students.[22]

Gaza envelope communities

The following communities were included in the list of communities in southern confrontation line area, published by the Israel Tax Authority:[23]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Drory, Zeev; Lewin, Eyal; Ben-Ari, Eyal (2017). "Kibbutz under fire: Back to the days of sickle and bayonet". Israel Studies. 22 (2). Indiana University Press: 121–144. doi:10.2979/israelstudies.22.2.06. S2CID 152266326.
  2. 1 2 "Numbers that Reveal Abandonment: Government Allocations to Local Governments in the 'Gaza Envelope'" (PDF). Adva. October 26, 2023.
  3. ↑ "The Evacuation of Israeli Communities During the Swords of Iron War: Plans, Execution, and Reassessing the Criteria for Evacuation". INSS. March 21, 2024. Retrieved July 26, 2026.
  4. 1 2 Shechory Bitton, Mally; Laufer, Avital (2018). "Children's emotional and behavioral problems in the shadow of terrorism: The case of Israel". Children and Youth Services Review. 86 (86). Elsevier Ltd: 302–307. doi:10.1016/j.childyouth.2018.01.042.
  5. ↑ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on October 11, 2012. Retrieved February 2, 2013.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  6. ↑ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on December 7, 2008. Retrieved February 2, 2013.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  7. ↑ "הדף המבוקש אינו קיים". Hilan.co.il. Archived from the original on September 30, 2013. Retrieved August 11, 2017.
  8. ↑ Surkes, Sue (December 10, 2023). "Turn Gaza border area into model of sustainable development, green organization urges". The Times of Israel. Retrieved October 24, 2024.
  9. ↑ חדשות (June 19, 2014). "ראשי הרשויות בעוטף עזה: לבטל החלטת הקיצוץ ברכזי ביטחון". Ynet (in Hebrew). Retrieved December 2, 2023.
  10. ↑ "תושבי עוטף עזה עזבו בגלל המנהרות - והמדינה לא הפעילה את תוכנית הפינוי". TheMarker. August 3, 2014.
  11. ↑ "N12 - בעימות הבא: "24 שעות לפינוי"". N12. July 10, 2016. Retrieved December 2, 2023.
  12. ↑ "בין מס רכוש לבין המחשבות על פינוי: יום הלחימה של תושבי עוטף עזה". הארץ (in Hebrew). Retrieved December 2, 2023.
  13. ↑ Wilson, Rachel; deAcostaNoya, Rosa; Leeds Matthews, Alex; Newman, Alexandra (November 7, 2023). "One month's death toll in the Israel-Hamas war, in charts". CNN. Retrieved December 2, 2023.
  14. ↑ זומר, נווית (November 8, 2023). "חודש אחרי האסון: מפעל כפרית בכפר עזה חזר לפעול". Ynet (in Hebrew). Retrieved December 2, 2023.
  15. 1 2 Keller-Lynn, Carrie (October 19, 2023). "Government sets up NIS 1 billion fund to rehab shattered Gaza border region". Times of Israel. Retrieved February 16, 2024.
  16. ↑ Sokol, Sam (December 27, 2023). "Gaza border reconstruction proposal wins backing from coalition, opposition MKs". Times of Israel. Retrieved February 16, 2024.
  17. ↑ Lidor, Canaan (October 20, 2023). "For Israeli farmers near Gaza, damage may be temporary but long-term crisis looms". The Times of Israel. Archived from the original on October 20, 2023. Retrieved August 18, 2025.
  18. ↑ Saul, Jonathan (November 2, 2023). "Businesses on Israel's Sderot frontline keep trading despite Gaza war". Reuters. Archived from the original on November 2, 2023. Retrieved August 18, 2025.
  19. ↑ Luxner, Larry (August 5, 2025). "How American Jews are helping Israel's communities near Gaza rebuild and return to life". The Jerusalem Post. Archived from the original on August 5, 2025. Retrieved August 18, 2025.
  20. ↑ Sharabi, Meital (February 27, 2020). "Darom Adom: Southern Israel is in bloom". The Jerusalem Post. Archived from the original on February 27, 2020. Retrieved August 18, 2025.
  21. ↑ "Cinema South Festival". Sapir Academic College. School of Audio and Visual Arts at Sapir Academic College. Retrieved August 18, 2025.
  22. ↑ Fiske, Gavriel (November 14, 2024). "Sderot's Sapir Academic College aims to arm its students with tools to rebuild after Oct. 7". The Times of Israel. Archived from the original on November 14, 2024. Retrieved August 18, 2025.
  23. ↑ "Section A: A list of settlements whose residents are entitled to a tax break in the tax year 2012" (PDF). Israel Tax Authority. Retrieved August 11, 2017.

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