of the gar'in gradually arrived at the kibbutz from Rishon LeZion until all of them arrived in November 1947. During the 1947–1948 Civil War in Mandatory Palestine transportation was limited and was only carried out with armored vehicles and field work was done under guards. Following the Israeli Declaration of Independence in 14 May 1948, the army of Egypt invaded the former territory of Mandatory Palestine and advanced along the coast line until it reached Ad Halom bridge. From the end of May till October 1948, the kibbutz was near the front lines of the Egyptian Army and was repeatedly shelled by artillery fire. Many of members of the kibbutz were recruited to the Israeli Defense Forces and participated in the Battles of Negba. The children, as well as livestock, were evacuated to Holon, while the members who stayed in the kibbutz hid in trenches and shelters. Following Operation Yoav in October the Egyptians withdrew and the kibbutz returned to routine life. The surrounding Arab villages were depopulated and their residents became refugees in the Gaza Strip. Their land was confiscated by the state of Israel and part of it was leased to the kibbutz. In the 1950s, another group of Hashomer Hatzair members from France and Switzerland also joined the kibbutz. Like other kibbutzim founded by Hashomer Hatzair members, Hatzor was affiliated with the Kibbutz Artzi movement, which in the 1990s merged into the Kibbutz Movement. Since the 1990s the Kibbutz has undergone changes towards privatization and abandoned many of its original collective habits. As a result of that, more than 100 new members were admitted within 7 years. A new neighborhood of 44 families, populated by those new members, has been completed in spring 2014. See also Hatzor Airbase References External links Official website Kibbutzim Kibbutz Movement Populated places established in 1946 Populated places in Southern District (Israel) 1946 establishments in Mandatory Palestine