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Five months since the Israeli disengagement last summer, Eli Sinai former residents belong to the 25 percent of Gaza Strip settlers that are still living as refugees.

In 1983 Former Yamit resident’s families who gave up their homes once in their life when Israel and Egypt signed a peace treaty, built up Eli Sinai settlement, which was situated along the Gaza - Egypt border. Unfortunately they were enforced to leave their homes once again in the recent disengagement. According to documentation, in 1948 the land of Eli Sinai, Dugit and Nissanit settlements belonged to the United Nations and because of that fact, the former Eli Sinai residents believed that they shouldn't have been evacuated. Although they appealed to the Israeli high court of justice well before the actual disengagement it was never reviewed and on the 21 of August 2005, Eli Sinai, the last populated settlement in Gaza strip was evacuated. About 500 settlers and other supporters from the Golan Heights started a protest march out of Eli Sinai settlement along the new israeli border line on their way to protest around Israel but ended eventually in Yad Mordechai intersection on no.4 highway.

Today 50 families of the former Eli Sinai residents are still living as refugees in tents outside a popular rest stop at the entrance to the Israeli Negev near Kibbutz Yad Mordechai who its members gave permission to Eli Sinai Evacuees to settle down temporarily until their residency problems are resolved.

The Last Eli Sinai meeting 21.08.05

Graffiti left on an evacuated home with the message: "Every End is a new Beginning"

IDF soldiers are coming to evacuate Eli Sinai 21.08.05

Settlers living Eli Sinai by protest, marched along the new israeli border line.

Living peacefully tent-by-tent along with other former Eli Sinai residents.

A former resident is digging a ditch to protect is tent against the recent floods.

A former Eli Sinai resident sits on his bed in his tent and looks forward to a better future.

A baby crying for his mother in a family tent

According to a new report released by the non-profit group lema’an Achinu, more than 50 percent have yet to receive any compensation funds and some even lost their jobs.The report paints a grim picture of the evacuees economically and emotionally including drug and alcohol used by teens and increased divorce rates. But in Tent City-Eli Sinai the statistics simply do not work…

The woman are in charge on the camp lunches and are eating in the shared kitchen.

Lunch time in the main tent

Men and their dogs guard the camp

Although the hard conditions such as floods, cold temperatures and uncomfortable conditions, I found a small warm co-operative community living peacefully tent-by-tent along with other former Eli Sinai residents. In one caravan kitchen, the cooking shifts are shared by the camp ladies and the camp security is taken care of by the men with the help of their dogs. The main tent is used as one big living room where they eat, play or watch one shared television. They even have a small kindergarten and they organize a school bus service for their children.

Children are playing cards in the main tent

Eli Sinai Kindergarten

A former residence reads a paper and watches the news on the one camp television.

The former settlers of Eli Sinai have been waiting a long time for the disengagement authority compensations and for the relocation they have been promised by the Israeli government.

Overseas Visitors and potential sponsors round tour

Overseas Visitors and potential sponsors round tour

In spite of media reports the residents say that the Tent City has no government support and all the expenses, which is around $60,000 a month, comes from their own pockets and some overseas Zionist Jewish organizations.

Overseas Visitors and potential sponsors round tour

The main tent from above.

Lately Eli Sinai evacuees have started a negotiation with Kibbutz Palmachim representatives who are willing to except them as full members with the right to build their homes in their Kibbutz. The Israeli government has not blessed this move yet and intends to separate Eli Sinai families and divide them into settlements such as Nizzan near Ashqelon and others in the Negev. For Eli Sinai former residents, although the hard conditions they are living in, their united community is above all. As people who suffered eviction twice in their life, dozens of terror attacks and Qassams rockets, they will not give up the only thing that is left for them, their strong and committed society that wishes to stay together as a whole forever.

Oz Harpaz lost his daughter, Liron Harpaz, in a terror attack at Eli Sinai on 02.10.01. He is reading one of her poems at her temporary memorial stone as he anxiously waits to place it again in the new Eli Sinai settlement.