Elei Sinai () was an

Israeli settlement Israeli settlements, also called Israeli colonies, are the civilian communities built by Israel throughout the Israeli-occupied territories. They are populated by Israeli citizens, almost exclusively of Israeli Jews, Jewish identity or ethni ...

in the north of the

Gaza Strip The Gaza Strip, also known simply as Gaza, is a small territory located on the eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea; it is the smaller of the two Palestinian territories, the other being the West Bank, that make up the State of Palestine. I ...

. In 2005, it had a population of 389.

Founding

Elei Sinai was established in 1982 (

Sukkot Sukkot, also known as the Feast of Tabernacles or Feast of Booths, is a Torah-commanded Jewish holiday celebrated for seven days, beginning on the 15th day of the month of Tishrei. It is one of the Three Pilgrimage Festivals on which Israelite ...

5743) by a group who had been evicted from

Yamit Yamit () was an Israeli settlement in the northern part of the Sinai Peninsula with a population of about 2,500 people. Yamit was established during Israel's occupation of the peninsula from the end of the 1967 Six-Day War until that part of ...

in the

Sinai Peninsula The Sinai Peninsula, or simply Sinai ( ; ; ; ), is a peninsula in Egypt, and the only part of the country located in Asia. It is between the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Red Sea to the south, and is a land bridge between Asia and Afri ...

. It was named for the yearning to return to the Sinai desert, where Yamit was located. Avi Farhan, a Yamit expellee, and Arik Herfez, whose daughter had been killed by Palestinian militants, were two of the most notable residents.

Unilateral Disengagement

Among the arguments in opposition to

Israel's unilateral disengagement plan In 2005, Israel disengaged from the Gaza Strip by dismantling all 21 Israeli settlement, Israeli settlements there. As part of this process, four Israeli settlements in the West Bank were dismantled as well. The disengagement was executed unil ...

, which stated that the settlers should be evicted from Elei Sinai, was a proposal by Farhan allowing the settlers to remain in their homes as Palestinian citizens, an idea the Palestinians and the Israeli government rejected. The residents had actually left their homes voluntarily but returned after realizing that the government had no place to send them. After the eviction, a group of fifty families established themselves at the

Yad Mordechai Yad Mordechai (, ''lit.'' Memorial of Mordechai) is a kibbutz in Southern Israel. Located 10 km (6.2 mi) south of Ashkelon, it falls under the jurisdiction of Hof Ashkelon Regional Council. In it had a population of . History The communit ...

junction as a protest that the government hadn't found a community solution for them. Others were sent to the Shirat HaYam hotel. The rest of the settlement later split into a few groups, including those now found in: *

Karmia Karmia () is a kibbutz in southern Israel. Located between Ashkelon and the Gaza Strip, it falls under the jurisdiction of Hof Ashkelon Regional Council. In it had a population of . History The kibbutz was established on 20 May 1950 by a Nahal ...

, who were promised future homes in Talmei Yafeh close to

Ashkelon Ashkelon ( ; , ; ) or Ashqelon, is a coastal city in the Southern District (Israel), Southern District of Israel on the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean coast, south of Tel Aviv, and north of the border with the Gaza Strip. The modern city i ...

. *

Or HaNer Or HaNer () is a kibbutz in southern Israel. Located near Sderot, it falls under the jurisdiction of Sha'ar HaNegev Regional Council. In it had a population of . Etymology Its name is taken from the Sanhedrin (Talmud), Sanhedrin tractate of the ...

, who were promised future homes in the Bat Hadar neighborhood close to Ashkelon. Farhan and a part of his family establish a new group and hope to establish a new community in the center of the country. The government agreed in 2006 to acclimatize this group in

Palmachim Palmachim () is a kibbutz in central Israel. Located about ten kilometers south of the Gush Dan, Tel Aviv area along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea, among the sand dunes, it falls under the jurisdiction of Gan Raveh Regional Council. In it h ...

2023 Gaza war

The site of Elei Sinai was captured by the IDF following the invasion of its ground forces into the Gaza Strip on October 27, 2023. Their entry into Elei Sinai was part of a pincer move to surround Gaza City, located to the south of Elei Sinai.

References

{{Authority control Populated places established in 1982 Former Israeli settlements in the Gaza Strip Villages depopulated during the Arab–Israeli conflict 1982 establishments in the Israeli Military Governorate 2005 disestablishments in Palestine