Nirim Colony

Nirim was established in 1946 on the lands of the depopulated town of Bani Suheila and the village of Al-Ma’in, northeast of Khan Yunis. It is a kibbutz located in the northwestern Negev near the border with the Gaza Strip, approximately 7 kilometers east of Khan Yunis. In 2021, the number of settlers there was approximately 407.

The kibbutz was founded in October 1946 as part of the eleven points plan in the Negev, aimed at establishing a Jewish presence in the Negev to claim it as part of the future so-called Jewish state. It was named after the Nir Brigade of the Hashomer Hatzair youth movement, some members of which helped establish the kibbutz. It was originally established at a site called “Dengor,” where Kibbutz Sufa is now located. One of the founders was Dan Zur, who later became one of the leading landscape architects for the Israeli occupation.

The village of Bani Suheila is located at the southern end of the Gaza Strip, 2 km east of Khan Yunis, and east of the Rafah-Gaza road. It is connected by a local road to the main road extending to Khan Yunis in the west and Abasan and the town of Khuza’a to the east. It is situated 75 meters above sea level. The built-up area of the town increased from 97 dunams at the end of the British Mandate period to about 500 dunams in 1989. The total area of its lands is approximately 100 dunams. Its agricultural lands are of medium fertility, with the main crops being grains, vegetables, and watermelons, relying on moderate rainfall.

The estimated population was about 1,043 in 1922, around 3,220 in 1945, approximately 7,561 in 1967, about 10,000 in 1982, and around 23,487 in 1996. The current population is estimated to be about 40,000.

Sources:
Due to the scarcity of Arabic sources, Hebrew sources were used, including:

• The official Hebrew website of the settlement
• The Israeli Central Bureau of Statistics
• The villages of Bani Suheila and Al-Ma’in from Palestine Remembered