View source for Negev Brigade

{{Short description|Reserve infantry brigade of the Israel Defense Forces}}
{{disputed|date=September 2010}}
{{Infobox military unit
| unit_name                     = Negev Brigade
| native_name                   = חטיבת הנגב
| image                         = NegevBrigade.svg
| image_size                    = 150px
| caption                       = Negev Brigade insignia, based on the [[Palmach]] symbol
| dates                         = 1948–present
| country                       = {{flag|Israel}}
| allegiance                    = {{armed forces|israel}}
| branch                        = {{army|israel}}
| size                          = [[Brigade]]
| command_structure             = [[252nd Division (Israel)|252nd Division]]
| battles                       = [[1948 Arab–Israeli War]]
* [[Operation Yoav]]
[[Six Day War]]
* [[Battle of Abu-Ageila (1967)]]
| commander1                    = ''[[Aluf Mishne]]'' Hebrew Elbaz
}}
The '''Negev Brigade''' ({{langx|he|חטיבת הנגב}}, ''Hativat HaNegev''), originally the '''12th Brigade''' is an Israeli [[Reserve duty (Israel)|reserve]] infantry brigade under the [[Sinai Division]], that originally served in the [[1948 Arab-Israeli war]].

==History==

===Founding and organization===
[[File:Nachum Sarig.jpg|thumb|[[Yitzak Rabin]] in the background, with Nachum Sarig on the right]]
[[File:Negev Brigade.jpg|thumb|The Negev Brigade parading prior to [[Operation Horev]]]]
The brigade was founded in March 1948 with two battalions, the 2nd and 8th. The 7th Battalion was created in April, with the 9th Battalion being the last of the four.<ref name="tal107" /> [[Yisrael Galili]], the [[Haganah]] Chief of Staff, and [[Yigal Allon]], the Palmach commander, chose Nachum Sarig to command the brigade in December 1947. The residents of the Negev and [[David Ben-Gurion]] appointed [[Shaul Avigur]] instead, without Sarig's knowledge. After Avigur toured the Negev, he told Ben-Gurion that he would not be able to command the brigade, citing deteriorating health, and praised Sarig.<ref name="givati22" />

It was commanded by Nahum "Sergei" Sarig, which is why it was also called ''Sergei Brigade''. It consisted of four [[Palmach]] battalions. The Negev Brigade participated in many operations in the [[Negev]] Desert, including [[Operation Yoav]] in the latter part of the war. Sarig decided to divide the Negev into two sectors, divided by the [[Beersheba]]–[[Gaza City|Gaza]] road, later [[Highway 25 (Israel)|Highway 25]]. Yigal Allon then named [[Haim Bar-Lev]] as the commander of the southern sector—the 8th Battalion.<ref name="givati22" />

The Palmach memorial website records the names of 312 of its members who died while in the Negev Brigade.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.palmach.org.il/show_item.asp?itemId=8572&levelId=42850&itemType=0 |title=Palmach |access-date=2010-11-17 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120318075857/http://www.palmach.org.il/show_item.asp?itemId=8572&levelId=42850&itemType=0 |archive-date=2012-03-18 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

During the 1948 war, the Negev Brigade was involved in the defence of [[Battles of Negba|Negba]], [[Battle of Kfar Darom|Kafr Daron]], [[Battle of Be'erot Yitzhak|Be'erot Yitzhak]] and [[Battle of Nirim|Nirim]]. In October 1948 the Brigade took part in the conquest of [[Battle of Beersheba (1948)|Beersheba]]. They were part of Operations [[Operation Barak|Barak]], [[Operation Yoav|Yoav]], [[Operation An-Far|An Far]], [[Operation Horev|Horev]], [[Operation Uvda|Uvda]] and [[Operation Pleshet|Pleshet]]. 

In the 1967 war, the Brigade fought in the [[Battle of Abu-Ageila (1967)|battle of Abu Agelia]].

In the [[Gaza war|2023 Gaza war]] the unit saw action in [[Beit Hanoun]],<ref>{{Cite web |date=May 22, 2024 |title=IDF hits 200 Hamas targets overnight, finds weapons, tunnels in a school |url=https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/idf-hits-200-hamas-targets-overnight-finds-weapons-tunnels-in-a-school/ |website=The Times of Israel}}</ref> the unit was later deployed in the [[Rafah offensive]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=May 22, 2024 |title=IDF deploys fifth brigade to Rafah as operation expands in southern city |url=https://www.i24news.tv/en/news/israel-at-war/artc-idf-deploys-fifth-brigade-to-rafah-as-operation-expands-in-southern-city |website=I24NEWS}}</ref>

== Units ==
{{tree list}}
* [[File:NegevBrigade.svg|25px]] '''12th Infantry Brigade "Negev"''' (Reserve)
** 8114th Infantry Battalion
** 9208th Infantry Battalion
** 9217th Infantry Battalion
** (6863rd) Reconnaissance Battalion
** 5512th Logistic Battalion
** 523rd Signal Company
{{tree list/end}}

==Memorialization==
*Outside [[Be'er Sheva]] stands [[Dani Karavan]]'s sculpture "[[Monument to the Negev Brigade]]".<ref>{{Cite web |last=danny |date=2021-04-25 |title=Negev Brigade Memorial |url=https://dannythedigger.com/negev-brigade-memorial/ |access-date=2024-03-16 |website=Danny The Digger |language=en-US}}</ref><!-- Coords: {{coord|31|16|01|N|34|49|15|E|region:IL_type:landmark|display=title}} -->

== Image gallery ==
<gallery>
File:PikiWiki Israel 21219 The Palmach.JPG|The Negev Brigade's raid on Bir Hama Airport during [[Operation Horev]]
File:Negev Brigade soldiers 1948.jpg|A Negev Brigade artillery unit
File:HaimBarLev1948.jpg|[[Haim Bar Lev]], as Commander of the 8th Battalion of the 12th Negev Brigade (1948)
File:Negev_Brigade_Memorial_dome4.JPG|The Negev Brigade Memorial Dome
File:Negev_Brigade_Memorial2.JPG|The Negev Brigade Memorial
</gallery>

==References==
{{Commons category}}
{{Reflist|refs=
<ref name="tal107">[[#refTal|Tal (2000)]], p. 107</ref>
<ref name="givati22">[[#redGivati|Givati (1994)]], pp. 22–23</ref>
}}

===Bibliography===
*{{cite book|author=Givati, Moshe|year=1994|title=In the Path of Desert and Fire|publisher=Ministry of Defense Publishing|isbn=965-05-0719-1|language=he|ref=refGivati}}
*{{cite journal|author=Tal, David|editor1=Ginosar, Pinhas|title=Studies in the Founding of Israel – Volume 10|journal=’Iẇniym betqẇmat Yiśraʼel |year=2000|issn=0792-7169|publisher=[[Ben Gurion University]]|page=107|language=he|ref=refTal}}
{{Israel Defense Forces}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:1948 Arab–Israeli War]]
[[Category:Brigades of Israel]]
[[Category:Palmach]]
[[Category:Military units and formations established in 1948]]