01In brief
Neta is a locality in Israel’s Lachish region, within the Lakhish Regional Council. Planned for families displaced from Gush Katif after Israel’s 2005 disengagement from Gaza, it was intended to accommodate residents of Tel Katifa and Kfar Darom; in 2014, its intended residents were still living in temporary caravans while the permanent site remained undeveloped. The religious-Zionist community had a population of 674 in 2020, and many residents serve in the security forces.
02Overview
Neta is a community in the Lachish region and part of the Lakhish Regional Council.[1][2] Its origins lie in plans formed after the 2005 disengagement from Gaza to create new communities in eastern Lachish for people displaced from Gush Katif. Neta was designated for residents of Tel Katifa and Kfar Darom.[3]
Although the community had begun to take shape by the early 2010s, a 2014 report said its permanent site was still an undeveloped rocky hill and that intended residents remained in temporary housing at Amazia.[3] A 2023 profile described the Amichai family as having helped found Neta about a decade earlier.[6]
03History
Neta was one of three new communities being established in eastern Lachish for communities displaced from Gush Katif following Israel’s 2005 disengagement from Gaza.[3] It was intended for residents of Tel Katifa and Kfar Darom.[3] In 2014, nine years after the disengagement, the permanent sites of Neta and Karmei Katif were still undeveloped rocky hills, while their intended residents waited in temporary caravans in an expansion of the moshav Amazia.[3]
A 2023 profile said Reut Amichai grew up in Shekef and, together with her family, moved and helped found Neta approximately ten years earlier.[6]
On the morning of October 7, 2023, a woman visiting her in-laws in Neta heard that the Sderot police station had been taken over.[5] She recalled that the community’s civilian security coordinator instructed residents to turn on their phones, and that the news quickly made the atmosphere feel like “a regular, tense weekday.”[5]
In 2026, an Iranian cluster missile severely damaged a home in Neta.[7] The family inside had reached its reinforced safe room before impact; a resident recalled, “The moment I closed the door, I heard a huge explosion.”[7] A neighboring home sustained light shrapnel damage, but everyone was reported safe.[7] A separate 2026 announcement included Neta among localities in the Lakhish Regional Council where educational institutions were permitted to reopen.[2]
04Demographics
Neta had 674 residents in 2020 and was assigned locality code 1369.[4] The same official statistical table placed it in peripherality cluster 3, with a rank of 416 among localities.[4]
The community was intended for residents displaced from Tel Katifa and Kfar Darom, while later profiles also describe families such as the Amichais as participating in its establishment.[3][6]
05Economy and Culture
Neta is described as a religious-Zionist community, and many residents serve in the security forces.[5] Development expenses were discussed in a 2015 report about construction costs in the surrounding area. A prospective buyer said that buyers in nearby communities, including Neta, had paid NIS 280,000 for development.[8] This was the buyer’s reported comparison rather than an official development-cost figure for Neta as a whole.[8]
Sources
- 1Israel Hayom, ‘It’s been a tough year, but I still have a lot to do’, accessed on November 11, 2026.
- 2Mako, Easing in some areas: The full list of localities where opening was permitted, accessed on November 11, 2026.
- 3Globes, Gush Katif evacuees: “We want to return, to reconquer Gaza”, accessed on November 11, 2026.
- 4Israel Central Bureau of Statistics, accessed on November 11, 2026.
- 5The Times of Israel, accessed on November 11, 2026.
- 6The Jerusalem Post, Who will be lighting this year's Independence Day torches?, accessed on November 11, 2026.
- 7Ynetnews, 'We had a miracle': Family escapes seconds before Iranian cluster missile hits their home, accessed on November 11, 2026.
- 8Globes, Is the state really encouraging construction in localities in peripheral areas?, accessed on November 11, 2026.
IsraelPedia Question & Answers
What is Neta, Israel?
Neta is a religious-Zionist community in Israel’s Lachish region and part of the Lakhish Regional Council. It was planned for families displaced from Gush Katif after Israel’s 2005 disengagement from Gaza, and designated for residents of Tel Katifa and Kfar Darom.
Why was Neta established?
Neta was planned as one of three new communities in eastern Lachish for people displaced from Gush Katif after Israel’s 2005 disengagement from Gaza. It was designated for residents of Tel Katifa and Kfar Darom.
What happened to Neta’s planned residents after the disengagement from Gaza?
In 2014, Neta’s permanent site was still an undeveloped rocky hill, and its intended residents were living in temporary caravans in an expansion of the moshav Amazia. The permanent site had not yet been developed nine years after the disengagement.
How many people lived in Neta in 2020?
Neta had 674 residents in 2020. It was assigned locality code 1369 and placed in peripherality cluster 3, with a rank of 416 among localities.
What is life in Neta’s community like?
Neta is described as a religious-Zionist community, and many of its residents serve in the security forces. A 2023 profile said the Amichai family helped found Neta approximately ten years earlier.
What happened in Neta during the October 7, 2023 attack?
On the morning of October 7, 2023, a woman visiting her in-laws in Neta heard that the Sderot police station had been taken over. She recalled that the community’s civilian security coordinator instructed residents to turn on their phones, and that the news made the atmosphere feel like “a regular, tense weekday.”
Was Neta damaged by an Iranian missile in 2026?
An Iranian cluster missile severely damaged a home in Neta in 2026. The family inside had reached its reinforced safe room before impact, and a neighboring home sustained light shrapnel damage. Everyone was reported safe.