Holit

On 7 October 2023, the Hamas Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades (Al-Qassam Brigades) attacked Holit, a kibbutz close to the border fence with the Gaza Strip, as part of a surprise attack on Israel. Twelve residents including one member of the security team were killed, Three foreign kibbutz employees, two from Nepal and a Moldavian, were also killed. A resident, whose parents were killed, and a Thai employee, were injured. They recovered, with the employee subsequently returning to Thailand. Four members of a family were injured when a grenade failed to breach their safe room, but shrapnel entered through the space under the door. Seven hostages were taken captive. Three were released on the day of the attack just before reaching the Gaza border fence. An additional two were released during the Israeli–Palestinian prisoner exchange. Two hostages remain in captivity. Tanks from the Israel Defence Forces' (IDF) Paran Brigade, and the Shaldag Unit, only regained control of the kibbutz after midnight, clearing it of militants either by killing or chasing them away.

The Battle of Nirim was a military engagement between the Egyptian army and the Jewish Haganah militia on May 15, 1948, the first day of the Egyptian invasion of Israel in the 1948 Arab–Israeli War. It was fought in kibbutz Nirim, founded just two years earlier as part of the strategic settlement push known as the "11 points in the Negev". The Egyptian 6th Battalion attacked about 40 Israeli defenders at dawn on May 15, backed by armored vehicles, mortars, cannons and aircraft. They failed to take the village and retreated about 7 hours later, leaving behind about 30–35 dead.

On October 7, 2023, as part of the Hamas-led Operation Al-Aqsa Flood, militants overran an IDF outpost in the village of Sufa, which borders the Gaza Strip.

Sufa (Hebrew: סוּפָה, lit. 'Storm') is a kibbutz in southern Israel. Located in the Hevel Shalom area of the north-western Negev desert, it falls under the jurisdiction of Eshkol Regional Council. In 2021 it had a population of 227.A border crossing between Israel and the Gaza Strip named after the kibbutz was located nearby, but was closed permanently by Israel in 2008.

Sdei Avraham (Hebrew: שְׂדֵי אַבְרָהָם, lit. Avraham Fields) is a moshav in southern Israel. Located in the Hevel Shalom area of the north-western Negev desert near the Gaza Strip border, it falls under the jurisdiction of Eshkol Regional Council. In 2021 it had a population of 367.

Yated (Hebrew: יָתֵד, lit. Stake) is a moshav in southern Israel. Located in Hevel Shalom, it falls under the jurisdiction of Eshkol Regional Council. In 2021 it had a population of 563.

Hevel Shalom (Hebrew: חבל שלום, lit. Shalom region) is an area in the western Negev desert close to Israel's border with the Gaza Strip and Egypt's Sinai. This area was elected to be substitutive area for evacuees from Yamit.

Pri Gan (Hebrew: פְּרִי גַּן, lit. 'Fruit Garden'), also known as Prigan, is a moshav in southern Israel. Located in the Hevel Shalom area of the north-western Negev desert, it falls under the jurisdiction of Eshkol Regional Council. In 2021 it had a population of 252.

Nir Yitzhak (Hebrew: נִיר יִצְחָק, Yitzhak's Meadow) is a kibbutz in the northwestern Negev desert of Israel. Located between Hevel Shalom and Hevel Eshkol, it falls under the jurisdiction of the Eshkol Regional Council. In 2021, it had a population of 649.

On 7 October 2023, the Hamas Nuseirat Battalion attacked Nir Yitzhak, a kibbutz close to the border fence with the Gaza Strip, as part of a surprise attack on Israel. Two civilian members of the kibbutz’s emergency team including its leader, and one IDF soldier, were known to have been killed on the day of the attack. Three other team members who were originally noted as missing and presumed abducted, were subsequently also identified as being killed on that day. This includes at least one whose body was taken to Gaza. Eight hostages were taken captive, one emergency team member, and seven civilian residents. Two hostages were released before crossing into Gaza. Three were released during the Israel-Hamas hostage exchange. The status of the 3 remaining hostages is unknown, but they are assumed to still be held in Gaza.

Avshalom (Hebrew: אַבְשָׁלוֹם) is a community settlement and regional centre in southern Israel. Located near the Egypt – Gaza Strip border, it falls under the jurisdiction of Eshkol Regional Council. In 2021 it had a population of 345.

Yevul (Hebrew: יְבוּל, lit. 'Crop') is a moshav in southern Israel. Located in the Hevel Shalom area of the north-western Negev desert near the Gaza Strip–Egypt border, it falls under the jurisdiction of Eshkol Regional Council. In 2021 it had a population of 352.