Eshkol Regional Council

Eshkol Regional Council is linked to Tel Aviv by bus routes 379 (local) and route 479 (express), to Be'er Sheva by bus route 35, to Ashkelon by bus route 36 and to Jerusalem by bus 495. Inside the regional council's territory there are six bus routes linking the kibbutzim and the moshavim to the regional council offices. All bus routes are operated by Dan BaDarom.

The Eshkol region has been the target of thousands of rocket attacks since 2000. Despite Iron Dome coverage in the region, usage of the system is generally limited to populated areas and allows other rockets to land in open areas. As a result, there has been widespread damage to farms, vehicles and various outlying structures.^[1][2] During the 2014 Israel–Gaza conflict, farmers reported massive damages to their crops due to rockets landing in open fields.^[3][4]

On 26 August 2014 a mortar shell fired from Gaza killed two people and seriously wounded a third on Kibbutz Nirim, in the Eshkol Regional Council.^[5]

Since 2016, the region has experienced waves of fires caused by incendiary balloons released from Gaza. The fires have caused widespread damage to farms and local infrastructure.^[6][7] More than 100 fires were reported in June 2019 alone, with reported damage to at least 4,500 acres of farmland.^[8][9] This tactic by Hamas and other militant groups in Gaza (Palestinian Islamic Jihad) is considered to be a form of agro-terrorism.^[10]

During the October 7 attacks multiple attacks occurred in the regional council, including the Nova music festival massacre, the Nir Oz attack, and the Be'eri massacre.

In the 2022 election, 64 percent of voters in the regional council voted for the parties of the center-left coalition led by Yair Lapid, while 35 percent voted for the parties of the right-wing coalition led by Benjamin Netanyahu and 0.5 percent voted for the Arab parties.^[11]