Gaza border communities

Rodent infestation rises in Gaza border communities, hundreds of traps set out

Residents have reported finding droppings near children's beds and even incidents where injured residents needed to be hospitalized for proper treatment. 

Rats caught in a trap
The Israeli army near the border fence with Gaza, southern Israel. February 09, 2026.

IDF declares closed military zone ahead of Nahala group's march to Gaza with Smotrich, Ben-Gvir

The new synagogue in Kibbutz Kissufim.

Beyond the Headlines: New synagogue in Kissufim, with the old Torah ark from Gush Katif - opinion

IDF Central Command Chief Maj.-Gen. Avi Bluth addresses a change-of-command ceremony for the military's 99th Division, July 15, 2026.

Hamas unable to conduct terror infiltration, repeat of October 7, IDF commander tells soldiers


Reporter's Notebook: The landscape of the Gaza Border shifted two years after the Oct. 7 massacre

On October 7, 2023, this road was strewn with burned vehicles, cars full of bullet holes, and dead bodies. On Tuesday, all was quiet.

A memorial ceremony at the Nova festival marking two years since the October 7 massacre when Hamas terrorists infiltrated southern Israel, murdering more than 1200 people. October 07, 2025.

Israel’s border kibbutzes are drawing new dreamers two years after Oct. 7 shattered them

Two years after the October 7 massacre, Israelis are returning to border kibbutzim, reviving communities once devastated by Hamas’s assault.

A kibbutz member receives her homecoming kit from the Kibbutz Movement Rehabilitation Fund.

Two years after Oct. 7, Kibbutz Be’eri is beginning to rebuild

Two years after that terror-filled day, the kibbutz, which sits less than four kilometers (three miles) from Gaza, is rebuilding and rehabilitating itself – slowly.

 Kibbutz Be’eri member Danny Majzner’s tattoo bears the date of the October 7 massacre.

IDF Oct. 7 probe finds military acted professionally, appropriately to defend Kibbutz Nir Am

The probe's findings found that soldiers acted appropriately, fighting with courage, and seeking to join the frontlines, in order to prevent terrorists from Hamas's Nukhba Force from infiltrating.

The safe room at the Kibbutz Nir Am's hatchery damaged during the October 7 massacre, pictured December 30, 2023.

Kibbutz Be’eri unveils Yom Kippur prayer book blending Sephardi, Ashkenazi rites

Koren Publishing confirmed that the project was initiated by the kibbutz in partnership with the publishing house, and that the prayer book would be for community use only, and not for purchase.

Kibbutz Be'eri's new Yom Kippur prayer book combining Sephardi and Ashkenazi liturgy. September 2025.

Two years on: 710 Memorial non-profit to mark anniversary through livestream of Oct. 7 messages

The livestream will feature messages from WhatsApp groups in kibbutzim along the Gaza border communities, emergency standby squads, families from the Negev, and relatives from Israel and abroad.

An Israeli flag flutters in front of the remains of a building, following a deadly infiltration by Hamas gunmen from the Gaza Strip, in Kibbutz Beeri in southern Israel October 22, 2023

IDF Oct. 7 probe finds IDF failed to defend Kibbutz Gevim, terrorists failed to infiltrate kibbutz

The military singled out the efforts of the kibbutz's security coordinator for his role in preventing the terror infiltration by continuing to return fire despite being wounded.

Civilians, including journalists, take cover behind cars as IDF soldiers clash with infiltrating terrorists on Highway 34, near Kibbutz Gevim, October 7, 2023.

From Alaska to Sderot's frontlines of resilience

In Sderot, the threats are not predators but rockets, sirens, and the memory of sadistic terrorist invasions that shattered this town nearly two years ago.

FLYING BACK home after exploring remote wilderness parts of Alaska.

More than 90 percent of Gaza border residents return as rebuilding advances

Some 62,000 residents have returned to Gaza border communities. Reconstruction continues, with five key areas still in temporary housing.

Homes in kibbutz Nir Oz, southern Israel, which were burned and runied during the October 7 massacre, August 7, 2025.

Shooting incident reported in Gaza border communities

The shooting was deemed to be criminally motivated, Sdot Negev regional council later announced. 

 Israeli security forces stand guard in the Shuafat refugee camp in east Jerusalem, February 13, 2023