Ofaqim
אוֹפָקִים / אֳפָקִים افقيم | |
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  Ofaqim  Ofaqim | |
| Coordinates: 31°19′N 34°37′E / 31.317°N 34.617°E | |
| Country |  Israel |
| District | Southern |
| Founded | 19 April 1955 |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Yitzhak Danino |
| Area | |
| • Total | 10,273 dunams (10.273 km2 or 3.966 sq mi) |
| Population (2022)[1] | |
| • Total | 35,506 |
| • Density | 3,500/km2 (9,000/sq mi) |
| Ethnicity | |
| • Jews and others | 99.3% |
| • Arabs | 0.7% |
| Name meaning | Horizons |
| Website | http://www.ofaqim.muni.il |
Ofakim (Hebrew: אֳפָקִים ʾŎfāqīm, or אוֹפָקִים ʾŌfāqīm, lit. "horizons") is a city in the Southern District of Israel, 20 kilometers (12.4 mi) west of Beersheba. It achieved municipal status in 1955. It has an area of 10,000 dunams (~3.9 sq mi; 10 km2). In 2022, it had a population of 35,506.[1]
Established as a development town in 1955, Ofakim was for many years a major textile manufacturing center. Outsourcing of textile manufacturing outside Israel caused economic stagnation, and Ofakim suffered high poverty and unemployment rates for many years. Since then, new factories have moved in, and the city is currently undergoing major development. Ofakim was the scene of fighting between Hamas terrorists who infiltrated the city and Israeli forces in a stand-off during the 2023 Israel–Hamas war; the IDF cleared the city of Hamas terrorists the following day.[2]
- ^ a b c "Regional Statistics". Israel Central Bureau of Statistics. Retrieved 21 March 2024.
- ^ Hasson, Nir (8 October 2023). "The Israeli Town of Ofakim Has Been Cleared of Hamas Terrorists but the Blood and Shock Remain". Haaretz. Archived from the original on 8 October 2023. Retrieved 9 October 2023.