The IDF said on Wednesday that Hamas fired rockets at the Gaza border communities from inside humanitarian safe zones in the strip. In the past month, 55 rockets have been fired, some intercepted by the Iron Dome missile defense system and others landing in open fields.
The return of intense rocket fire to the south has left residents in despair, especially as the start of the new school year approaches. "It's just not safe to bring children here," says Daphne Siboni from Nir Am.
"It’s the same old story," says Eshkol regional council head Gadi Yarkoni. "The government promised us quiet but has failed to deliver."
Hamas continues to be able to target the border area communities despite 10 months of war in Gaza, during which terrorists manage to resurrect their capabilities as soon as IDF troops withdraw from parts of the strip.
The government has instructed residents to return to the south, but many have demanded that schools be opened away from the danger, while others believe a familiar surrounding would be better for the kids. Siboni says her kibbutz had been promised solution after solution, but none have come to fruition.
"At first, they told us to choose if we wanted to live in a rural community or a city. We deliberated and voted for rural living. They then returned and said that the only option was a religious community. We said sure, we can all live together. But then they said it was not an option and we had to move as a community, into apartment blocks," she said.
"They asked us to choose between three southern cities. We deliberated and voted again and chose a northern sector of Ashkelon. But that too was quickly taken off the table and they said we could either return to the Kibbutz or find separate solutions like living with family or renting apartments. We were told to leave the hotels we were evacuated to after October 7, by the middle of August," according to Siboni.
Siboni said its been a non-stop rollercoaster ride. "How can we return to the kibbutz? We are still terrified. Now we have less than a week to find a place to live, without our community, without basic supplies, while we continue to pay taxes and mortgages," she said.
Those who returned are scrambling to find solutions as well. "The WhatsApp group is full of questions about how to get secure doors, efforts to organize group purchases of weapons and requests for recommendations for child psychologists," she says. "The government got its way. They are settling people back on the border but what of our children? What of our lives?"