Magen, Israel

History

During World War I British forces established an air base at the village site after the withdrawal of the Turks. The kibbutz was established by immigrants from Romania on 16 August 1949. The site also contains the remains of the maqam of Sheikh Nuran, either the site of the biblical town of Bethul (Joshua 19:4) or the site of a fourth-century Byzantine monastery.

Excavations revealed traces of Late Ottoman infant jar-burials, commonly associated with nomads or itinerant workers of Egyptian origins.

Magen is considered, according to Le Monde, a leftwing kibbutz. Magen produced avocados and peanuts. Today it manufactures solar panels and has agricultural enterprise.

During the 2023 Hamas-led attack on Israel, Magen was one of the Israeli villages attacked, but its civil defense team fought off the Hamas militants. Israeli forces counterattacked with tanks the following day, successfully eliminating the remaining Hamas assailants in the vicinity of the kibbutz. The militants blew up the fence of the kibbutz and Hamas motorbikes and cars were in the perimeter of Magen. The Civil defence first tried to speak with the approaching armed men. The militants opened fire and a battle began. Some of the civilians continued to fight even when injured. Two Kibbutz members were killed by Hamas. After the battle the kibbutz had to evacuate to the Dead Sea, they had only a few hours to pack their things. The kibbutz was the first Israeli community to return.

The swimming pool at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, at which the Israeli 4×100 meters medley relay squad made the finals, was heated by solar panels manufactured by the kibbutz.

Archaeology

A church complex consisting of four buildings was discovered at kibbutz Magen which sheds light on features of church construction during the Byzantine period. It was a basilica dedicated to St. Elias. Mosaics, inscriptions, glass, pottery and several coins were unearthed in these excavations.

References

References

1. John D. Grainger. (2006). "The Battle for Palestine, 1917". The Boydell Press.
2. Carta's Official Guide to Israel and Complete Gazetteer to all Sites in the Holy Land. (3rd edition 1993) Jerusalem, Carta, p.307, {{ISBN. 965-220-186-3
3. Immanuel Hareuveni. (1989). "Israel Guide". Sefrit Ma'ariv.
4. [[Alois Musil]], Arabia Petraea, 3 vols. [German] (Vienna: Kaiserliche Akademie der Wissenschaften, 1908), 2:226, vol. 2, part 1.
5. Taxel, Y., [[Roy Marom. Marom, R]]., & Nagar, Y. (2025). [https://www.academia.edu/129069336/An_Infant_Jar_Burial_from_Zarn%C5%ABqa_Muslim_Funerary_Practices_and_An_Infant_Jar_Burial_from_Zarn_qa_Muslim_Funerary_Practices_and_Migrant_Communities_in_Late_Ottoman_Palestine_Migrant_Communities_in_Late_Ottoman_Palestine An Infant Jar Burial from Zarnūqa: Muslim Funerary Practices and Migrant Communities in Late Ottoman Palestine]. '''Atiqot'', 117, 269–293.
6. (2023-10-21). "One Israeli family shares how their ideal kibbutz life turned to terror".
7. (15 October 2023). "How one Kibbutz in Israel fought off Hamas: report".
8. Fabian, Emanuel. "Heavy gun battle, tank fire reported in Magen community near Gaza border".
9. (2025-03-06). "From his hospital bed, injured kibbutznik recounts how his community fended off Hamas".
10. (2025-03-06). "Kibbutz Magen, first border community to return home, inspires Boston".
11. [https://www.kibbutzvisit.com/listing/kibbutz-magen/ Kibbutz Magen]
12. [https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/abs/10.2307/1356894 An Early Christian Church Complex at Magen]
13. (2014-07-14). "XXXVI. Kissufim". De Gruyter.