Yamit, former Israeli settlement on the occupied Sinai
Yamit was a settlement built in the North Sinai desert starting in 1975 that grew to about 2,500 residents living in simple, functional buildings on sandy ground. The town was planned to eventually become a much larger city and was located roughly half a kilometer from the coast.
Yamit was officially approved in 1973 and construction began in 1975 as part of a strategic plan to create a buffer zone and develop a port between Israel and Egypt. In 1982, as part of the Camp David Accords peace treaty requiring Israel to return the Sinai to Egypt, the government ordered the complete evacuation of all residents.
Yamit was a secular Israeli settlement built by families seeking new opportunities and affordable housing in the desert near the coast. The residents came from diverse backgrounds and were drawn by the promise of open space and economic prospects rather than religious motivations.
The site today consists of ruins scattered across the desert in North Sinai and is difficult to access; it is advisable to ask locally for directions and travel with caution. The condition of the remaining structures is unstable, and visitors should be respectful of this historically sensitive location.
Residents fiercely resisted the 1982 evacuation, with some barricading themselves in homes or climbing onto roofs to avoid leaving. Soldiers used chains and cages to remove the settlers, creating scenes that remain deeply etched in Israeli historical memory.
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