Zeita swamp nature reserve, Wetland nature reserve in Hadera, Israel

Zeita Swamp Nature Reserve is a 47-dunam wetland south of the Hadera Mizrach train station and east of the Beit Eliezer neighbourhood, holding the last remnant of the Hadera marshes drained during the 20th century. Its own ground was once drained and used as fish ponds, then abandoned and left to revert to swamp. Tamarisk trees, reeds and holy bramble grow among the pools, and some tamarisks were cut to help the ecosystem recover.

The reserve was established in 1984 to protect a remaining section of wetlands that once covered larger areas around Hadera. This designation helped preserve part of the natural habitat that had been reduced over time.

The reserve's Hebrew name links it to the Zeita swamp, the last remnant of the Hadera marshes drained during the 20th century. Its eucalyptus and reed beds draw herons that nest in summer and many duck species, and the reserve is a regular stop for birdwatchers.

The reserve lies south of Hadera Mizrach train station and east of the Beit Eliezer neighbourhood, with fish ponds and the dismantled Eastern Railway line to its north. Walking access is not formally restricted, but dense scrub and the swamp basins make passage impractical. The reserve can be viewed from the southeast, from the top of the mound in the abandoned hamra quarry, where a square British Mandate-era pillbox stands.

The reserve protects the last remnant of the Hadera marshes drained during the 20th century; the reserve land itself was once drained and used as fish ponds, then abandoned and flooded again. A square British Mandate-era pillbox stands on a mound of an abandoned hamra quarry southeast of the wetland, a viewpoint over the reserve.