As those who fled Israel's border villages weigh whether to return, what hangs in the balance?

Months after Hamas killed 1,200 people in an early-morning assault, Israeli communities ravaged in the attack remain mostly empty. More than five months after last Octobers attack, the trauma inflicted by the killing and kidnapping of family and friends remains raw for residents of the kibbutzim.

Months after Hamas killed 1,200 people in an early-morning assault, Israeli communities ravaged in the attack remain mostly empty. Now the residents who fled these “kibbutzim” along the border with Gaza are wrestling with whether, how, and when to return -- choices that have implications not just for their families, but also for the country. Before October 7, communities were shaped by contradiction. Kibbutzim, which for decades have exemplified Israeli resilience, has long been a paradox. Many of those along the border with Gaza were built on or near the sites of former Palestinian villages. Over the years, residents tried to maintain economic relationships with people living in Gaza, the majority of whom are either refugees or their descendants. The residents of kibbutzim cherished life in the communities as almost idyllic. Yet, long before October 7, many were targets of frequent rocket attacks.

Trauma lingers as war stretches on. More than five months after last October's attack, the trauma inflicted by the killing and kidnapping of family and friends remains raw for residents of the kibbutzim. Israel's massive invasion of Gaza, which has killed more than 30,000 people in Gaza, has likely curtailed the threat that such a large-scale assault could be repeated. But frequent artillery fire and the roar of fighter jets are a reminder that the empty border kibbutzim are extensions of the war zone. Many people long for their homes.

Residents have begun weighing whether, when, and how to go back. In the hours after the attack, hundreds of kibbutzim residents were evacuated to hotels, dormitories, and other locations, some hours away from their schools, jobs, and homes. Many pines for the lives they left behind. Consensus is elusive amid great uncertainty. But they are split on how to proceed, with some determined to go back and others deeply reluctant. With so much uncertainty about future security conditions along the border, many say that for now, it is impossible to make long-term decisions.

Family decisions, but with potential consequences for the country The choices kibbutz residents make about whether to return are foremost about what is best for their families and close-knit communities. But the outcome is also important for Israel, whose leaders relied on border kibbutz as a way to solidify control of the land after the 1948 war against Palestinian fighters and the armies of neighbouring Arab countries.

“If the kibbutzim … will not come back, no one will come,” says Shlomo Getz, a researcher who studies the communities. “That means we are losing our country.”

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)