Tell Jemmeh

Re'im (Hebrew: רֵעִים, lit. 'Friends') is a secular kibbutz in southern Israel, and one of the Gaza vicinity villages. Located at the confluence of Besor Stream and Gerar Stream in the north-western Negev desert, it falls under the jurisdiction of Eshkol Regional Council. In 2021, it had a population of 433.Re'im was founded in 1949 by members of the Israel Boy and Girl Scouts Federation who were demobilized from the Palmach. The kibbutz was designed by the architect Hanan Havron. The building, which was used by the Havron for decades as his office, is today the kibbutz's heritage building, with a display of the history of the place.An outdoor music festival near Re'im was attacked by Hamas on 7 October 2023, as part of a larger invasion of Israel. Several hundred people were killed and many bodies and cars were set on fire.

On 7 October 2023, the Palestinian Islamist militant group Hamas initiated a surprise invasion of Israel from the Gaza Strip. As part of the attack, 364 civilians were killed and many more wounded by Hamas at the Supernova Sukkot Gathering, an open-air music festival during the Jewish holiday of Shemini Atzeret near kibbutz Re'im. At least 40 hostages were also taken. This mass killing had the largest number of casualties out of a number of massacres targeting Israeli civilians in villages adjacent to the Gaza Strip, that occurred as part of the 7 October invasion, alongside those at the moshavim of Netiv HaAsara, Be'eri, Kfar Aza, Nir Oz and Holit.At 6:30 am around sunrise, rockets were noticed in the sky. Around 7:00 am, a siren warned of an incoming rocket attack, prompting festivalgoers to flee. Subsequently, armed militants, dressed in military attire and using motorcycles, trucks and powered paragliders, surrounded the festival grounds and indiscriminately fired on individuals attempting to escape. Attendees seeking refuge in nearby locations, such as bomb shelters, bushes, and orchards, were killed while in hiding. Those who reached the road and parking were trapped in a traffic jam as militants fired at vehicles. The militants executed some wounded individuals at point-blank range as they crouched on the ground.The details of the whereabouts and condition of the hostages are not publicly known. The massacre at the festival was the largest terror attack in Israel's history, and the worst Israeli civilian massacre ever.

Psyduck was a small trance music festival that took place in the open fields between kibbutz Nir Oz and kibbutz Nirim, about 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) from the border of Gaza. The rave hosted about 100 participants. On 7 October 2023 morning, as part of the surprise attack on Israel, the Palestinian Islamist militant group Hamas attacked the Psyduck festival, killing 17 Israeli partygoers.

Kissufim (Hebrew: כִּסּוּפִים, lit. 'Yearning') is a kibbutz in the northwestern Negev desert in Israel. Located adjacent to the Gaza Strip at an altitude of 92 meters above sea level, it falls under the jurisdiction of Eshkol Regional Council. In 2021 it had a population of 292.

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. The regional council's territory lies midway between Ashkelon and Beersheba, bounded on the west by the Gaza Strip while the eastern border abuts the territory of the Bnei Shimon Regional Council. Due to its proximity to the Gaza Strip, the region has experienced numerous sporadic waves of violence, primarily as a result of rocket attacks, mortar strikes, and fires caused by incendiary kites and balloons launched from Gaza Strip. These waves of violence often result in widespread damage to farms and structures within the region.

On 7 October 2023, a sudden assault was launched on Israel by Hamas militants originating from the Gaza Strip. They targeted Kissufim kibbutz located in the Southern District of Israel. As a result of this violent attack, at least eight kibbutz civilians and six Thai laborers were killed, and additionally at least four individuals were abducted and taken to Gaza.

Ein HaShlosha (Hebrew: עין השלושה, lit. 'Spring of the Three') is a kibbutz in the western Negev desert in Israel. It falls under the jurisdiction of Eshkol Regional Council.

The Be'eri Forest (Hebrew: יער בארי) of area about 11,000 dunams is located in the western Negev, within the Eshkol Regional Council area. It was planted by the pioneers of the kibbutz Be'eri.The forest has a diverse array of tree types, encompassing conifers, fruit-bearing trees, and deciduous broad-leaved trees. During winter and spring time it is covered with clusters of anemones, orchids, tulips, asphodels and many other flowers. On May 2, 2018, the forest was severely damaged by a forest fire that was ignited by an incendiary kite sent by Hamas from Gaza.

Be'eri (Hebrew: בְּאֵרִי) is a kibbutz in southern Israel. Located in the north-western Negev desert near the eastern border with the Gaza Strip, it falls under the jurisdiction of Eshkol Regional Council. In 2021 it had a population of 1,047.During a massacre in Be'eri during the 2023 Hamas attack on Israel, 100 people were killed.

On 7 October 2023, in the opening attacks of the 2023 Hamas attack on Israel, Hamas militants carried out a massacre at Be'eri, an Israeli kibbutz near the Gaza Strip. Around 70 Hamas militants had attacked the kibbutz and at least 130 people were killed in the attack, including women (such as peace activist Vivian Silver), children, toddlers, and one infant, claiming the lives of 10% of the farming community's residents. Dozens of homes were also burned down. This incident occurred concurrently with a series of other massacres and military engagements in multiple neighbouring Israeli communities, including Netiv haAsara, Kfar Aza, and the Rei'm music festival massacre. Several newspapers described the massacre as an act of terrorism. A few early claims regarding the attack were later found to be false.Hostages were taken, leading to a stand-off with the Israel Defense Forces. Relatives of some of those killed have demanded a probe into potential deaths of some of these hostages from friendly fire, including one incident in which an Israeli tank fired at a house full of hostages.

The Anzac Memorial (Hebrew: יד אנזא"ק, romanized: Yad ANZAC – The Be'er Sheva Anzac Memorial Center) is a monument in Be'eri Forest, Negev, Israel, to the soldiers of the Australian and New Zealand armies who were killed in Palestine during the First Battle of Gaza and Second Battle of Gaza of World War I.

Bureij (Arabic: البريج) is a Palestinian refugee camp located in the central Gaza Strip east of the Salah al-Din Road in the Deir al-Balah Governorate. The camp's total land area is 529 dunums and in 2017, it had a population of 28,024 with 28,770 registered refugees. The Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS) 2017 census listed a population of 15,491 in the surrounding Bureij municipality apart from the camp population.The camp was established in 1949 with a population of 13,000 Palestinians from the broader Gaza area. A small percentage of the refugees were housed in the British army barracks but the bulk of them were housed in tents. The UNRWA built concrete homes in 1950 to replace the tents. Most of the refugees today, like those in most camps in the Gaza Strip today, live in densely populated buildings. The camp does not have a sewage system and most waste accumulates in the Wadi Gaza, a stream north of the camp, and as a result poses a health hazard. Most of the camp's water comes from an Israeli water company.Bureij has six primary and two secondary schools with a population of 9,306 pupils at the end of 2004. All schools are operated by the UNRWA.