Ein HaShlosha

The area was called Ma'een and was captured by the Israeli army in October 1948. The area and other nearby places such as Nirim, Nahal Oz and Magen were inhabited by a Palestinian tribe, now refugees in Gaza. Abu-Sitta family was the biggest family and owned most of the land between 1750 and 1948. The whole area was known for its wheat fields since 1750.

The kibbutz was named in memory of three of the founding members who were killed during the 1948 Arab–Israeli War. It was established during the 1950s by a Nahal group of Zionist youth from South America, members of the youth movement HaNoar HaTzioni, on lands of the former kibbutz Neve Yair (Neve Yair was established in 1949 by members of the Lehi but was abandoned in June 1950). During its first years the kibbutz suffered bombardment by the Egyptian army.[2]

Almost adjacent to the Gaza border with Khan Yunis, the kibbutz was regularly hit by Palestinian gunfire during the Gaza–Israel conflict in 2008.[3] On 15 January 2008, an Ecuadorian volunteer, Carlos Chavez, was shot and killed by a Hamas sniper while working on the kibbutz.[4]

During Operation Protective Edge, at least 825 rockets were fired at the Eshkol region, where the kibbutz is located. In some cases, asbestos roofs were damaged after being hit with rocket fire.[5]

The kibbutz is largely agricultural, relying on turkey and dairy farming. It also has a small factory that manufactures lever arch files. In March 2006 hundreds of turkeys were found dead, spreading fears of the bird flu virus in Israel.[6]

• Yizhar Shai (b.1963), member of the Knesset