The Negev Desert
The southern desert, covering more than 60% of Israel's land. It includes Beersheba, Dimona, Eilat and the kibbutzim near Gaza.
~14,200 km²area
~1.5 millionpeople today
Israel (1949 lines)status
History
- 1947The UN plan assigned most of it to the Jewish state. Beersheba and the strip along Egypt went to the Arab state.
- 1948Israel captured Beersheba (Operation Yoav) and reached the Red Sea at Eilat in 1949.
- 1948–todayDevelopment towns were built for new immigrants. Many of the region's Bedouin citizens still live in villages the state does not recognize.
- 2023On 7 October Hamas attacked the kibbutzim and towns near Gaza, including Be'eri, Kfar Aza and the Nova festival site.
Today
Part of Israel since 1948 and not claimed by the Palestinian Authority. It is home to about 300,000 Bedouin Arab citizens.
Select Negev on the map