Battle of Nirim

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.

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.

Holit (Hebrew: חוֹלִית, lit. Dune) is a kibbutz in the Hevel Shalom region of south-west Israel. Located near Nir Yitzhak, the kibbutz is under the jurisdiction of Eshkol Regional Council. In 2021, it had a population of 203.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Al-Bayuk (Arabic: البَيُوك, also spelled al-Buyuk) is a Palestinian village in the Rafah Governorate located south of Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip. According to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS), it had a population of 5,648 in 2006.