Eshkol Regional Council


Eshkol Regional Council 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 [Palestinian Palestinian rocket attacks on Israel|rocket attacks on Israel|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.

Transport

Eshkol Regional Council is linked to Tel Aviv by bus routes 379 and route 479, to Be'er Sheva by bus route 35, to Ashkelon by bus route 36 and to Jerusalem by bus 495. Inside the regional council's territory there are six bus routes linking the kibbutzim and the moshavim to the regional council offices. All bus routes are operated by Dan BaDarom.

Security

The Eshkol region has been the target of thousands of rocket attacks since 2000. Despite Iron Dome coverage in the region, usage of the system is generally limited to populated areas and allows other rockets to land in open areas. As a result, there has been widespread damage to farms, vehicles and various outlying structures. During the 2014 Israel–Gaza conflict, farmers reported massive damages to their crops due to rockets landing in open fields.
On 26 August 2014 a mortar shell fired from Gaza killed two people and seriously wounded a third on Kibbutz Nirim, in the Eshkol Regional Council.
Since 2016, the region has experienced waves of fires caused by incendiary balloons released from Gaza. The fires have caused widespread damage to farms and local infrastructure. More than 100 fires were reported in June 2019 alone, with reported damage to at least 4,500 acres of farmland. This tactic by Hamas and other militant groups in Gaza is considered to be a form of agro-terrorism.
During the October 7 attacks multiple attacks occurred in the regional council, including the Nova music festival massacre, the Nir Oz attack, and the Be'eri massacre.

Villages

Kibbutzim

Moshavim

Other locations