The kibbutz: From an idyllic vision to scenes of terror Some of the worst scenes of slaughter during the Hamas attack on Israel were at kibbutzim near the Gaza Strip, turning what are supposed to be idyllic towns into places of terror. Kibbutzim, meaning "gathering" in Hebrew, first emerged in the 1900s and were intended to be organised communities based on the principal of mutual assistance. But they are also controversial, with many built on what is originally Palestinian land.