Kfar Aza

Kfar Aza (כְּפַר עַזָּה) is a kibbutz in southern Israel. Located between Netivot and Sderot around 5 km east of Gaza, it falls under the jurisdiction of Sha'ar HaNegev Regional Council. In, it had a population of.

History
The kibbutz was established in August 1951 by Jewish immigrants and refugees from Egypt and the Moroccan city of Tangier who had received training in Ein Harod, Ayelet HaShahar and later Afikim. It was temporarily abandoned in 1955, and in January 1957 members of the Mita'arim gar'in moved in.

Before the 2023 massacre, the village had more than 700 residents, as well as a school and a synagogue.

October 7th massacre
As part of a broad surprise attack on more than 20 towns and villages in southern Israel on 7 October 2023, approximately 70 Hamas militants infiltrated Kfar Aza, massacred residents, and left the village in ruins. Another Palestinian militant group, the Maoist DFLP, also declared that its troops (organized as National Resistance Brigades) were fighting the IDF in Kfar Aza. The militants attacked the village from four directions. They destroyed the gate around the town's perimeter and indiscriminately killed residents, torched cars and homes, and forced entry to homes using rocket-propelled grenades. More than a hundred civilians died, while others were kidnapped and held hostage. The Israel Defense Forces retook control of the village by 11 October 2023. The corpses of about 20 Hamas attackers were found in the town, along with paragliders used by Hamas and unexploded hand grenades.

Economy
Kafrit Industries, a plastics manufacturer located in Kfar Aza, is traded on the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange. Kfar Aza was a pioneer in automated watering systems on farms.