Kfar Darom was originally a fruit orchard established in 1930 by the citrus grower Tuvia Miller, located far from the rest of the Jewish population of the British Mandate of Palestine.

While all Jewish villages in the Negev were isolated to some degree and therefore comparatively easy targets, during the 1947–1948 war in mandatory Palestine, Kfar Darom bore the brunt of the Arab attacks.

[3] The first significant Arab attempt to capture Kfar Darom was on March 23, 1948, when 18 separate attacks were repelled by the local residents.

[3] On April 10, a Muslim Brotherhood's First Battalion under Husni al-Musawi staged an attack on the village, but was defeated with dozens of casualties.

[5] Three infantry and armoured thrusts were repelled, as they were allowed to come close to the village fence unmolested, and concentrated fire was opened at them when they did, causing confusion.

[4][5] Battles were renewed on the night of May 12, when a Muslim Brotherhood infantry contingent breached the eastern fence of Kfar Darom.

The vehicles proceeded in daylight to Kfar Darom, but got bogged down in sand 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) away from the village, and came under fire from Muslim Brotherhood forces.

After the ground troops reorganized, they made a final thrust to rescue to wounded left in the field, and a heavy artillery barrage on the village followed.

[9][10] The United Nations ceasefire observers did not intervene, and Egypt prevented the besieged kibbutz from receiving aid, including by shelling the areas where aerial drops landed, so that they could not be picked up.

[5] The land of Kfar Darom remained under Egyptian control following the 1949 Armistice Agreements, and became part of the Gaza Strip.

[12] The Gaza Strip was captured by Israel in the 1967 Six-Day War, and in 1970, a Nahal settlement was built next to the old Kfar Darom.