Morag (Israeli settlement)

Morag (Hebrew: מוֹרַג, lit. 'Flail') was an Israeli settlement organized as a moshav in the Gush Katif settlement bloc. in the south-west edge of the Gaza Strip. It was evacuated as part of Israel's unilateral disengagement plan of 2005.

Morag מוֹרַג‎
Former Israeli settlement
Hothouses in Morag.
Etymology: Flail
Morag
Coordinates: 31°18′30″N 34°17′17″E
Affiliation	HaPoel HaMizrahi
Founded	1983

History

Morag was the southernmost settlement in Gush Katif. It was first established on 29 May 1972, as a secular pioneer Nahal military outpost, and demilitarized when turned over to residential purposes in 1982.^[1] It later became a religious agricultural worker cooperative, whose residents earned their living growing flowers and vegetables in hothouses.^{[citation needed]} At the time of the evacuation, there were about forty families including about 200 people.^{[citation needed]}

Unilateral disengagement

Sixteen families of Morag were evicted on August 17, 2005, by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and Israeli Police. Others had left earlier following the government orders.^[1][2]

Palestinian plans

On the ruins of the former village, a Palestinian locality has been announced called Sheikh Khalifa City.^[3] The site is named after United Arab Emirates President Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan due to his funding of the project.^[4]

Gaza War

On 2 April 2025, Israeli Prime Minister of Israel Benjamin Netanyahu announced the creation of the Morag Corridor on the site of this settlement, following the resumption of combat between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip after the breakdown of the ceasefire implemented in January 2025.^[5]