Ofakim Colony

An Israeli colony located in the Negev desert west of Beersheba, on the lands of Khirbet Futais, which lies in the northwestern Negev. Its name was altered to Bateesh, also known as Khirbet al-Fallah. In 1945, its population was about 520 people.

The colony of "Ofakim" was established in 1955, and today it has around 25,000 settlers. It has recently been targeted by rockets fired by the Palestinian resistance because of its proximity to the Gaza Strip. It is considered one of the colonies outside the "Gaza Envelope," situated about 16 kilometers from the Strip.

Despite this, on October 7, during the "Al-Aqsa Flood" battle, 10 resistance fighters managed to break into the colony, take settlers hostage, and capture several of them.