District Southern Affiliation Kibbutz Movement Founded by Evacuated settlers Local time Thursday 8:09 PM | Council Eshkol Founded 1982 Population (2015) 234 | |
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Weather 18°C, Wind NW at 13 km/h, 80% Humidity | ||
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 2015 it had a population of 234.
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Map of Sufa, Israel
A border crossing between Israel and the Gaza Strip named after the kibbutz is located nearby.
Kibbutz
The kibbutz was founded in 1982 by former residents of Sufa, an Israeli settlement in Sinai which was evacuated as part of the Egyptian-Israeli Peace Treaty. Its name is derived from the severe dust storms which occurred in the original settlement. To the north of the kibbutz, where Nirim was between the years 1946-1949, lies the memorial site "Dangur", commemorating the casualties of the Egyptian attack on Nirim and a memorial for the eight fallen soldiers.
Border crossing
The Sufa border crossing was open in the past to Palestinians working in Israeli farms. During the Second Intifada, the border crossing and the military base next to it were subject to several Palestinian attacks, and the crossing has been intermittently closed. In October 2007, the crossing was closed, leaving the Kerem Shalom crossing the only point of entry. In November, despite IDF objections who said it was harder to guard than Kerem Shalom, Deputy Defense Minister Matan Vilnai decided to reopen it. It has since been used to transfer humanitarian assistance to the Strip.
In May 2008 the crossing was once again closed following a mortar attack which wounded an IDF soldier. A few days later, thousands of Palestinians protested the Israeli blockade. Six people were reported wounded by the IDF in that incident. On June 1, about forty Israeli farmers protested at the crossing, in a bid to stop the transportation of goods into the Strip despite the ongoing Qassam rocket barrages.