The Nukta and the Mass Grave

At the foot of the northern slope of the Anielewicz Monument stands an original structure known as the “Nukta”: a structure that served for weapons storage and was common in the kibbutzim of the Negev during the British Mandate. The weapons that were stored in these buildings were known to the British authorities, and the Jewish settlements were permitted to possess them. The Nukta was also used to operate wireless communication. This building is one of the few of its kind and is preserved in its original state.    

Beside the Nukta is the site of a mass grave in which the fatalities of the battle of the night of the retreat, May 23, 1948, were buried. The remains of the fallen were moved to a military grave in December of the same year, one month after the kibbutz was liberated from the Egyptians. At the site, signage recounts the history of the site and the grove, which consists of 23 cypress trees that were planted in memory of the fallen immediately following the removal of their remains.   

In 2018, as part of a joint project undertaken with Shikma regional high school, art produced by students was added to the site, and new, young, revitalized cypress trees were planted.