Israel: some residents return to kibbutz near Gaza
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00:00 In this kibbutz in the south of Israel, Sagi and Edith are seeing each other for the first
00:07 time since the October 7th attack.
00:10 "She just came back after two months.
00:15 Three months.
00:16 Three months?
00:17 Three months.
00:18 Sorry.
00:19 And she said she's very happy.
00:20 She couldn't be happier."
00:21 "There are kibbutzes where there's nothing to come home to.
00:25 At least we have our house.
00:27 We're lucky we were not impacted.
00:29 Others have lost everything."
00:35 Three kilometres from Gaza, Yad Mordechai is an exception.
00:40 On October 7th, Hamas gunmen were pushed back at the community's security fence.
00:46 All 1,000 residents survived.
00:49 Today, around 150 have come back, encouraged by the government.
00:55 And yet, after four months of war, rockets launched from Gaza are still a threat.
01:01 Interceptor missiles from Israel's Iron Dome defence system sometimes cause debris.
01:06 "Two hours ago, the Iron Dome rocket fell here and then stuck in the ground and after
01:14 three minutes, explode.
01:18 Somebody one of the kibbutz guys was very lucky because he was just down there."
01:22 One hundred kilometres north, survivors from the kibbutz Kiva Azar are still living in
01:28 this hotel.
01:30 On October 7th, 62 of the community's residents were killed.
01:35 A dozen more were taken hostage.
01:38 Going back home is not an option for now.
01:40 In this workshop, those who survived are trying to rebuild their lives.
01:45 Doing crafts and pottery helps.
01:48 "It's therapy.
01:54 It's a place which gives us time to reflect and cut ourselves off from reality.
01:59 If it was just me, if I didn't have children, I would be ready to go back.
02:04 I would sleep with a weapon under my pillow.
02:06 But with children, going back is out of the question."
02:09 Ofer lost his son, Aviv.
02:17 He was killed while fighting and trying to push back Hamas gunmen.
02:23 He thinks returning to southern Israel won't happen for several months at least.
02:28 So his community is building temporary housing for families.
02:33 "Here we see the first prefabricated houses.
02:37 There's 50.
02:38 It's not a lot, but it's somewhat of a solution.
02:41 We think they'll stay about six months, until they make a final decision about whether the
02:45 Kfar Azzah community will settle for two years in Rahama."
02:53 Temporary solutions which risk becoming long-term as the war in Gaza drags on.