Rebuilding Hope and Trust 3 Years after Oct 7

A lot has happened in the last three years. The joyous holiday of Simhat Torah was celebrated with singing and dancing, a far cry from three years ago in 2023 when the celebration was shattered by the Hamas terrorist attack on Israel.

On that day, around two thousand Hamas terrorists broke through the border fence between Gaza and Israel and massacred thousands of people including children in their homes, on the streets and at a music festival nearby, according to the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Over two hundred Israelis and foreign workers were abducted into Gaza. In the aftermath, tens of thousands of Israelis were evacuated from their homes and communities. Now, many of the kibbutzim (collective farming communities) near the Gaza border are returning home and rebuilding their lives.

It has been a long journey from despair to hope, from destruction to rebuilding communities and the return to normal lives. Here are three communities from the Gaza envelope that are returning home.

Kfar Aza’s Rebuilding Trust
At this time, about 50 of Kfar Aza’s 300 households have come home, Some of the survivors will never come back. But others are cautiously rebuilding despite the trauma and fear that remains, reported Ynet.

The kibbutz was evacuated to Kibbutz Shefayim and Kibbutz Ruhama, families started to come back in the summer of 2026. On September 1, kindergartens opened, a clinic is being built, and a pre-army academy is already operating on the site. But the community has a long way to go.

Around 35 percent of the families are still undecided while 10 to 15 percent have said they will not return. Sigal Moran, chairwoman of the kibbutz, told Ynet that she expects that 70 percent will return by the end of 2027. “That’s a realistic target that depends on the security situation,” she said.

While the signs of life are encouraging, the shadow of October 7 remains. The Young Generation Neighborhood faced the most devastation with 11 residents murdered and seven abducted. The captivity survivors are against demolishing the homes that were burned. But the members voted to clear the neighborhood and move a few buildings to a memorial outside the kibbutz. But as of now it will be fenced off, and a new entrance will be built.

Life will never be the way it was; homes no longer stand; memories will not go away but signs of life are back as the community has moved from despair to hope.

Kibbutz Nir Oz is Rebuilding Without Young Families
Kibbutz Or lost a third of its members on October 7, either killed or abducted, reported Haaretz, but the kibbutz is returning to life. Veteran members have returned, there are newcomers, but very few have young children.

Gadi Moses, who was abducted on October 7, his partner Efrat Katz was murdered, became a symbol of resolve when on the day of his release, he said, “I will do everything in my power to rebuild Nir Oz.” Now a year and a half later, his belief is becoming a reality.

Life is slowly returning, while there are still some burned houses, many have already been demolished. Construction is everywhere. New neighborhoods are being built, the shared dining hall is being renovated, and the Nirlat paint factory will be rebuilt near the entrance.

“It won’t be the same kibbutz,” Moses told Haaretz. “We were a community of 150 [kibbutz members]. Sixty-five were murdered – it can’t be the same. All our souls and minds and hearts were lost in this attack. All our most capable people are gone. But when you come here and see a tree that has been growing for 70 years, you can’t give up on it. Some people think a home is just stones. It isn’t. A home is the children and the sounds and the birds and the leaves and the grass. But it won’t be the same.”

Kibbutz Be’eri’s Transformation
Kibbutz Be’eri was ground zero for the Hamas massacre on October 7. On that day, 110 residents were murdered – 10 percent of the population) and more than 30 were kidnapped into Gaza, reported Haaretz. Be’eri suffered heavier losses than any other kibbutz that fateful day.

The kibbutz was evacuated to the dead sea area and then to Kibbutz Hatzerim outside Beer Sheva. Around 200 members are scattered around the country. A surprising 80 percent of these survivors plan to return when new neighborhoods are completed.

The new buildings rising from the destruction are a sign of hope and resilience for what was once one of the largest and most prosperous kibbutzim. But there is still a lot of anxiety.

Avivit John, whose parents founded the kibbutz in 1946, gives voice to that anxiety. She told Haaretz, “If you look around, you’ll see that everything here looks like a concrete fortress. What it tells me is that we’re back to October 6 – that nobody is thinking of how we get out of this situation of constantly preparing for war.”

John was at home that day with her grown daughters. They spent 16 hours in their safe room and were rescued. So many on the kibbutz did not.

Be’eri was a place where people believed in peace with their neighbors and worked to help bring it to fruition. Prominent peace activist Vivian Singer was one of the Be’eri members murdered on Oct 7. Now the community is divided.

There are members who think that if the new elections bring business as usual it will keep people from returning and that will be the end of the kibbutz, but others are more optimistic.

Uri Ben Zvi and his family survived Oct 7, their house did not. The family’s new home is almost ready, and he is looking forward to returning to his community. “Maybe I’m naïve, but I’m not scared about coming back,” he said, “I just can’t believe that we would experience another event like October 7 in the same exact place.”