Huj, Gaza

The Charge at Huj (8 November 1917), (also known by the British as the Affair of Huj), was an engagement between forces of the British Empire' Egyptian Expeditionary Force (EEF) and the Ottoman Turkish Empire's, Yildirim Army Group during the Sinai and Palestine Campaign of the First World War. It took place during the Pursuit phase of the Southern Palestine Offensive which eventually captured Jerusalem a month later. The charge was carried out by units of the 5th Mounted Brigade, against a rearguard position of German, Austrian and Turkish artillery and infantry armed with machine guns. The charge was successful and the British captured the position, seventy prisoners, eleven pieces of artillery and four machine guns. However British casualties were heavy; of the 170 men taking part, twenty-six were killed and forty wounded. They also had 100 horses killed. The charge is claimed to be one of the last British cavalry charges and was immortalised in a watercolour painting by the noted British artist Lady Butler.

Havat Shikmim (Hebrew: חוות שקמים, lit. "Sycamore Ranch") is a sheep ranch in Israel that belongs to the family of the late Prime Minister of Israel Ariel Sharon. It is located in the northern Negev Desert, near Sderot. The ranch covers 3,823 dunams (4 km²). Sharon purchased the ranch in 1972 with the help of a loan from Meshulam Riklis. The ownership of the ranch was turned over to Sharon's sons Omri and Gilad, to avoid conflict of interest when Sharon became Agriculture Minister of Israel and Industry, Trade and Labour Minister of Israel. The farm was built on the lands of a depopulated Arab village, Huj. According to Izzeldin Abuelaish the mosque of this village has been serving as the pen for Sharon's Arabian thoroughbred horses. In 2007, the farm was hit by rocket fire from the Gaza Strip. One rocket exploded near a sheep barn. In June 2010, the Israel Land Administration (ILA) renewed the ranch's lease for an additional 49 years at NIS142,000 per year. The ranch had been in limbo since 2003, when the ILA decided to verify if the ranch was using extra land not in its ownership. Sharon and his second wife, Lily, are buried in Havat Shikmim.

Sapir College (Hebrew: המכללה האקדמית ספיר, HaMikhlela HaAkademit Sapir) is a college in Israel, located in the northwestern Negev desert near Sderot. It is the largest public college in Israel, with an enrollment of 8,000 students. The college is named after Israeli politician Pinchas Sapir.

Dorot (Hebrew: דּוֹרוֹת, lit. 'Generations') is a kibbutz in southern Israel. Located on Route 334 near Sderot, it falls under the municipal jurisdiction of the Sha'ar HaNegev Regional Council. In 2022 it had a population of 915.

Gevim (Hebrew: גֵּבִים, lit. Cisterns) is a kibbutz in southern Israel. Located in the northwestern Negev desert near Sderot, it falls under the jurisdiction of Sha'ar HaNegev Regional Council. In 2022 it had a population of 619.

Ibim (Hebrew: אִבִּים, lit. 'Blossoms') is a village in southern Israel. Located near Sderot, it falls under the jurisdiction of Sha'ar HaNegev Regional Council. In 2022 it had a population of 774.

Sderot (Hebrew: שְׂדֵרוֹת, pronounced [sdeˈʁot], lit. 'boulevards'; Arabic: سديروت, sometimes Romanized as "Sederot") is a western Negev city and former development town in the Southern District of Israel. In 2022, it had a population of 33,002. Sderot is located less than a mile from Gaza (the closest point is 840 m (2,760 ft)), and is notable for having been a major target of Qassam rocket attacks from the Gaza Strip. Between 2001 and 2008, rocket attacks on the city killed 13 people, wounded dozens, caused millions of dollars in damage and profoundly disrupted daily life. Although rocket fire subsided after the Gaza War (2008–09), the city has come under rocket attack on occasion since that time.

Migvan (Hebrew: מגוון, lit. Colourful, Diversity) is a small urban kibbutz located in the city of Sderot in the northwestern Negev desert in Israel. The kibbutz was founded in 1987, and the original six members of the group (including activist Nomika Zion) have expanded to 60 members. It is a mixed model of the urban kibbutz (collective economy, culture, and weekly meetings) with private homes.

Nir Moshe (Hebrew: נִיר מֹשֶׁה, lit. 'Moshe's Meadow') is a moshav in southern Israel with an elevation of 145 m from sea level. Located in the north-western Negev south-east of Sderot with an area of 2,000 dunams, it falls under the jurisdiction of Merhavim Regional Council. In 2022 it had a population of 602.

The Sderot railway station is a railway station located near the southern entrance to Sderot, Israel. It is situated on the Ashkelon–Beersheba railway. The station was designed by Ami Shinar – Amir Mann Architects as a rocket-resistant building because of the sensitive security situation in Sderot during the last decade given its proximity to the Gaza Strip. This unusual need eventually led the architects to create an unusual design consisting of an irregular structure emerging from the ground.

The Sha'ar HaNegev Regional Council (Hebrew: מועצה אזורית שער הנגב, Mo'atza Azorit Sha'ar HaNegev, lit. Gate of the Negev Regional Council), is a regional council in the north-western Negev, in Israel's Southern District. The Regional Council's territory lies midway between Beersheba and Ashkelon, bounded on the west by the Gaza Strip. The eastern border abuts Bnei Shimon. The city of Sderot forms an enclave within Sha'ar HaNegev. The region's population is over 6,000, and covers an area of over 45,000 acres (approx. 180 km2 or 70 sq. mi.). The average elevation is approximately 180 m (495 ft.) above sea level. Sha'ar HaNegev Regional Council is in a sister city relationship with San Diego, California, in the United States of America, and has a close working relationship with the Jewish Federation of San Diego County.

Yakhini (Hebrew: יָכִינִי) is a moshav in southern Israel. Located in the northern Negev desert near the town of Sderot, it falls under the jurisdiction of Sha'ar HaNegev Regional Council. In 2022 it had a population of 730.