# Karmia

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Kibbutz in southern Israel

Place in Southern, Israel

Karmia כרמיה (Hebrew) Karmia Coordinates: 31°36′15″N 34°32′33″E / 31.60417°N 34.54250°E / 31.60417; 34.54250 Country Israel District Southern Council Hof Ashkelon Affiliation Kibbutz Movement Founded 20 May 1950 Founded by French and Tunisian Hashomer Hatzair members Population (2024) 730[1]

**Karmia** ([Hebrew](/source/Hebrew_language): כַּרְמִיָּה) is a [kibbutz](/source/Kibbutz) in southern [Israel](/source/Israel). Located between [Ashkelon](/source/Ashkelon) and the [Gaza Strip](/source/Gaza_Strip), it falls under the jurisdiction of [Hof Ashkelon Regional Council](/source/Hof_Ashkelon_Regional_Council). In 2024 it had a population of 730.[1] Before 1948 it was the site of an Arab village called 'Hiribya'. Its name is derived from the Hebrew for [vineyard](/source/Vineyard) ([Hebrew](/source/Hebrew_language): כרם, *Kerem*), which were common in the area.

## Pre-Israel History

### Prehistory

Further information: [Nizzanim culture](/source/Nizzanim_culture)

### Bronze Age

Settlement at the site of Karmia dates back to the [Canaanite](/source/Canaan) period.[2]

### Crusader period

It was known as "Forbie" to the [Crusaders](/source/Kingdom_of_Jerusalem). In 1226, the [Syrian](/source/Syria_(region)) geographer [Yaqut al-Hamawi](/source/Yaqut_al-Hamawi) called it "Firbiya" (or "Farbaya") and noted that it was within the administrative jurisdiction of [Ascalon](/source/Ascalon).[2][3]

The village was the site of a crucial battle, called the [Battle of La Forbie](/source/Battle_of_La_Forbie), between the Crusaders and the [Ayyubids](/source/Ayyubid), which ended in a decisive [Ayyubid](/source/Ayyubid) victory. Historians consider it second in strategic significance only to the [Battle of Hattin](/source/Battle_of_Hattin) in 1187.[2]

A circular [well](/source/Water_well), made of masonry, and the foundations of a small tower[*[clarification needed](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Please_clarify)*] were still found there in the late 19th century.[4]

### Ottoman period

Hirbiya was incorporated into the [Ottoman Empire](/source/Ottoman_Empire) in 1517 with the rest of [Palestine](/source/Palestine_(region)), by the 1596 [tax records](/source/Defter) it was located in the *[nahiya](/source/Nahiya)* (subdistrict) of Gaza, a part of the [Liwa of Gaza](/source/Liwa_of_Gaza). It had a population of 160 households and 15 bachelors, an estimated 963 person, all [Muslim](/source/Muslim). The villagers paid a fixed tax rate of 33.3% on various products, including wheat, barley, grapes, fruit, and cotton; a total of 35,500 [akçe](/source/Ak%C3%A7e). All of the revenue went to a [waqf](/source/Waqf).[5]

During the 17th and 18th centuries, settlement in the region declined due to [nomadic](/source/Nomad) attacks on local communities. The residents of abandoned villages moved to elsewhere but the land continued to be cultivated by neighboring villages.[6]

An Ottoman village list from 1870 showed that *Herbija* had 58 houses and a population of 206, which included only men.[7][8]

In the late 19th century Hirbiya had a rectangular layout, although some of its adobe brick houses were scattered in surrounding orchards. The village was surrounded by a pond, a well, and several gardens. To the south were remains of the Crusader fortress.[9]

### British mandate

Hiribya 1931 1:20,000

Hiribya 1945 1:250,000

In the [1922 census of Palestine](/source/1922_census_of_Palestine), conducted by the [British mandate](/source/Mandatory_Palestine) authorities, *Herbia* had a population of 1,037 inhabitants, consisting of 1031 Muslims and 6 Orthodox Christians,[10][11] The population had increased in the [1931 census](/source/1931_census_of_Palestine) to 1,520; 1,510 Muslims and 10 Christians, in 234 houses.[12] Hirbiya had a mosque and elementary school, both located in the village center. The school opened in 1922 and had an enrollment of 124 students in the 1940s.[2]

In [1945](/source/Village_Statistics%2C_1945) Hiribya had a population of 2,300; 2,200 Muslims, 40 Christians and 60 Jews,[13] with a total of 22,312 [dunams](/source/Dunam) of land, according to an official land and population survey.[14] Of this, 2,765 dunams were used for citrus and bananas, 6,106 dunams were for plantations and irrigable land, 2,037 for cereals,[15] while 92 dunams were built-up land.[16]

## Israeli History

Hirbiya was targeted in October 1948 during [Operation Yoav](/source/Operation_Yoav), coming under aerial bombardment on October 15–16. A planned attack was called off when Israeli forces learned that a large [Egyptian Army](/source/Egyptian_Army) force was quartered in the village. Khalidi speculates that the village fell to Israeli forces in early November, shortly after the occupation of Ashkalon.[17]

Following the war the area was incorporated into the [State of Israel](/source/State_of_Israel) According to Khalidi, only the mosque, which was used as a warehouse, and one residential building, remain from earlier times.[17]

The kibbutz was established on 20 May 1950 by a [Nahal](/source/Nahal) [gar'in](/source/Gar'in) of [Hashomer Hatzair](/source/Hashomer_Hatzair) members from [France](/source/France) and [Tunisia](/source/Tunisia) who had been trained in [Beit Zera](/source/Beit_Zera), including Gad Partok, a Holocaust survivor.[18][19]

The kibbutz absorbed 54 families from the [Elei Sinai](/source/Elei_Sinai) and [Nisanit](/source/Nisanit) Israeli settlements, which were evacuated as part of the [disengagement plan](/source/Israel's_unilateral_disengagement_plan).[20] Since 2006 it has been repeatedly hit by [Qassam rockets](/source/Qassam_rocket) fired from the Gaza Strip, including one that landed on its football pitch, and another Qassam rocket that landed inside a house and injured 3 people severely in 2005.[*[citation needed](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed)*]

In 2019 it was temporarily evacuated due to forest fires. [21]

### October 7th and Iron Swords War

See also: [Zikim attack](/source/Zikim_attack)

On October 7th, the kibbutz was defended by IDF soldiers.[22][23] The area was attacked again two days later.[24]

The kibbutz was evacuated following the [October 7 attacks](/source/October_7_attacks),[25] although some residents refused to leave.[26] Most of the evacuees were housed at Kibbutz [Nahsholim](/source/Nahsholim)[27] near Tel Aviv.[28] It was supposed to reopen in July of 2024, but most community members didn't agree to return.[29][30]

## Economy

In 1972 a blanket factory was established in the kibbutz.[*[citation needed](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed)*]

Karmia is home to solar energy startup EDI Energy,[31][32] and Ortech, which refurbishes bomb shelters.[33] The drone company CopterPIX was founded there.[34]

## References

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-Israelpopulations_1-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-Israelpopulations_1-1) ["Regional Statistics"](https://boardsgenerator.cbs.gov.il/pages/WebParts/YishuvimPage.aspx?mode=Yeshuv&l=1). *Israel Central Bureau of Statistics*. Retrieved 21 March 2026.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-Khalidi_2-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-Khalidi_2-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-Khalidi_2-2) [***d***](#cite_ref-Khalidi_2-3) Cite error: The named reference Khalidi was invoked but never defined (see the [help page](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:Cite_errors/Cite_error_references_no_text)).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-3)** le Strange, 1890, p. [440](https://archive.org/stream/palestineundermo00lestuoft#page/440/mode/1up)

1. **[^](#cite_ref-4)** Conder and Kitchener, 1883, p. [251](https://archive.org/stream/surveyofwesternp03conduoft#page/251/mode/1up)

1. **[^](#cite_ref-5)** Hütteroth and Abdulfattah, 1977, p. 145. Cited in Khalidi, 1992, p. 101

1. **[^](#cite_ref-6)** Marom, Roy; Taxel, Itamar (2023-01-01). ["Ḥamāma: The historical geography of settlement continuity and change in Majdal 'Asqalān's hinterland, 1270 – 1750 CE"](https://escholarship.org/content/qt1hr356xv/qt1hr356xv.pdf?t=s47wuf) (PDF). *Journal of Historical Geography*. **82**: 49–65. [doi](/source/Doi_(identifier)):[10.1016/j.jhg.2023.08.003](https://doi.org/10.1016%2Fj.jhg.2023.08.003).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-7)** Socin, 1879, p. [155](https://archive.org/stream/zeitschriftdesde01deut#page/155/mode/1up)

1. **[^](#cite_ref-8)** Hartmann, 1883, p. [130](https://archive.org/stream/bub_gb_BZobAQAAIAAJ#page/n938/mode/1up), also noted 58 houses

1. **[^](#cite_ref-9)** Conder and Kitchener, 1883, SWP III, pp. [235](https://archive.org/stream/surveyofwesternp03conduoft#page/235/mode/1up)-236, Also cited in Khalidi, 1992, p. 101

1. **[^](#cite_ref-10)** Barron, 1923, Table V, Sub-district of Gaza, p. [8](https://archive.org/stream/PalestineCensus1922/Palestine%20Census%20%281922%29#page/n10/mode/1up)

1. **[^](#cite_ref-11)** Barron, 1923, Table XIII, p. [44](https://archive.org/stream/PalestineCensus1922/Palestine%20Census%20%281922%29#page/n46/mode/1up)

1. **[^](#cite_ref-Census1931_12-0)** Mills, 1932, p. [3](https://archive.org/details/CensusOfPalestine1931.PopulationOfVillagesTownsAndAdministrativeAreas).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-DoS1945p31_13-0)** Cite error: The named reference DoS1945p31 was invoked but never defined (see the [help page](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:Cite_errors/Cite_error_references_no_text)).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-Hadawi45_14-0)** Cite error: The named reference Hadawi45 was invoked but never defined (see the [help page](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:Cite_errors/Cite_error_references_no_text)).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-15)** Government of Palestine, Department of Statistics. *Village Statistics, April, 1945.* Quoted in Hadawi, 1970, p. [87](http://www.palestineremembered.com/download/VillageStatistics/Table%20II/Gaza/Page-087.jpg)

1. **[^](#cite_ref-16)** Government of Palestine, Department of Statistics. *Village Statistics, April, 1945.* Quoted in Hadawi, 1970, p. [137](http://www.palestineremembered.com/download/VillageStatistics/Table%20III/Gaza/Page-137.jpg)

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-Khalidi102_17-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-Khalidi102_17-1) Cite error: The named reference Khalidi102 was invoked but never defined (see the [help page](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:Cite_errors/Cite_error_references_no_text)).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-18)** ["שורד השואה הדליק משואה וקרא: "להחזרת 59 החטופים" | ישראל היום"](https://www.israelhayom.co.il/news/local/article/17809961). *www.israelhayom.co.il*. 2025-09-01. Retrieved 2025-10-30.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-19)** [Khalidi, Walid](/source/Walid_Khalidi) (1992). [*All That Remains: The Palestinian Villages Occupied and Depopulated by Israel in 1948*](https://books.google.com/books?id=_By7AAAAIAAJ). [Washington D.C.](/source/Washington_D.C.): [Institute for Palestine Studies](/source/Institute_for_Palestine_Studies). p. 102. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [0-88728-224-5](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/0-88728-224-5).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-20)** ["Evacuees: First we were expelled, now we're abandoned"](https://www.jpost.com/israel/evacuees-first-we-were-expelled-now-were-abandoned). *[The Jerusalem Post](/source/The_Jerusalem_Post)*. 8 February 2006.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-21)** Magid, Jacob; Staff, ToI (2019-05-23). ["Netanyahu asks for international help as huge fires force evacuation of 3,500"](https://www.timesofisrael.com/netanyahu-calls-for-international-help-as-huge-fires-force-evacuation-of-3500/). *The Times of Israel*. [ISSN](/source/ISSN_(identifier)) [0040-7909](https://search.worldcat.org/issn/0040-7909). Retrieved 2025-10-30.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-22)** Kraus, Yair (2025-09-09). ["'Grief doesn't exempt from defending Israel': Father, son serve on Lebanon border after twin brother fell on Oct. 7"](https://www.ynetnews.com/magazine/article/byjckvt9xx). *Ynetglobal*. Retrieved 2025-10-30.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-23)** Segaloff, Judith (2024-04-15). ["'Until the hostages come home, I feel I have no right to'"](https://www.jns.org/until-the-hostages-come-home-i-feel-i-have-no-right-to/). *JNS.org*. Retrieved 2025-10-30.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-24)** Fabian, Emanuel (2023-10-09). ["Troops battling terrorists near Karmia on Gaza border"](https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/troops-battling-terrorists-near-karmia-on-gaza-border/). *The Times of Israel*. [ISSN](/source/ISSN_(identifier)) [0040-7909](https://search.worldcat.org/issn/0040-7909). Retrieved 2025-10-30.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-25)** ["» IDF Evacuating Civilians From Gaza Border Region"](https://tps.co.il/articles/idf-evacuating-civilians-from-gaza-border-region/). Retrieved 2025-10-30.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-26)** Moran, Meirav (December 22, 2023). ["'Leaving Is Giving in to Hamas': The Old-timers Who Stayed on the Kibbutz After October 7"](https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2023-12-22/ty-article-magazine/.highlight/leaving-is-giving-in-to-hamas-the-old-timers-who-stayed-on-the-kibbutz-after-october-7/0000018c-926e-da81-a1bc-defee55d0000).{{[cite web](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template:Cite_web)}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service ([link](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:CS1_maint:_deprecated_archival_service))

1. **[^](#cite_ref-27)** ["How are the people of Jerusalem helping Israel's war effort?"](https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/article-768100). *[The Jerusalem Post](/source/The_Jerusalem_Post)*. 2023-10-14. [ISSN](/source/ISSN_(identifier)) [0792-822X](https://search.worldcat.org/issn/0792-822X). Retrieved 2025-10-30.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-28)** Fuld, Shanna (2024-01-22). ["Kibbutz Re'im Survivors Find New Home in Tel Aviv"](https://israeldailynews.org/kibbutz-reim-survivors-find-new-home-in-tel-aviv/). *Israel Daily News*. Retrieved 2025-10-30.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-29)** [""פגיעה בתחושת הביטחון": בקיבוץ העוטף מתנגדים נחרצות להחלטת הממשלה"](https://www.maariv.co.il/news/israel/article-1103236). *www.maariv.co.il* (in Hebrew). 2024-05-30. Retrieved 2025-10-30.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-30)** ["Shomrim - All But Five of the Israeli Communities on the Gaza Border to Remain Empty for Now"](https://www.shomrim.news/eng/gaza-border-to-remain-empty). *www.shomrim.news*. Retrieved 2025-10-30.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-31)** ["Danielle Biton"](https://forbes.co.il/e/rankings/2024-under-30/danielle-biton/). *Forbes Israel*. Retrieved 2025-10-30.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-32)** Miller, Sara (2023-07-16). ["Startup Rents Roofs For Solar Panels, Sells Owners Cheap Power"](https://nocamels.com/2023/07/startup-rents-roofs-for-solar-panels-sells-owners-cheap-power/). *NoCamels*. Retrieved 2025-10-30.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-33)** ["מנכ"ל חברת המיגון: "המדינה לא בשלה להכיל טכנולוגיות מיגון מתקדמות""](https://www.maariv.co.il/news/israel/article-1207087). *www.maariv.co.il* (in Hebrew). 2025-06-21. Retrieved 2025-10-30.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-34)** ["Here's how CopterPIX relocated north with the help of the IDF"](https://www.calcalistech.com/ctechnews/article/r1rtd4ept). *ctech*. 2023-12-21. Retrieved 2025-10-30.

v t e Hof Ashkelon Regional Council Kibbutzim Gvar'am Karmia Nitzanim Yad Mordechai Zikim Moshavim Beit Shikma Berekhya Ge'a Heletz Hodiya Kokhav Michael Mash'en Mavki'im Nir Yisrael Netiv HaAsara Talmei Yaffe Community settlements Be'er Ganim Bat Hadar Nitzan Nitzan Bet Youth village Kfar Silver

Authority control databases International VIAF National Israel 2

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Karmia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karmia) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karmia?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.