New infrastructure and major investment are reshaping life along the Gaza border, as thousands of new residents join those returning to their communities after being displaced.

By World Israel News Staff

Nearly all residents of Israel’s Gaza border region who were evacuated in the aftermath of the October 7 massacre and the subsequent war against Hamas have returned to their homes. Thousands of new residents have also moved into the area, according to a new report from the government body overseeing its rehabilitation.

The Tekuma Authority, which was established to rebuild communities devastated by the Hamas-led invasion, reported that the vast majority of displaced residents have now returned. The agency is also tasked with attracting new residents and businesses to the region.

According to the report, 92% of the area’s original residents are now back home. In addition, approximately 3,000 new residents have relocated to communities along the Gaza border since the attacks.

Following the October 7 massacre, all communities within seven kilometers of the Gaza border were evacuated, including major population centers such as Sderot, which has around 40,000 residents. Evacuees were housed in hotels and temporary accommodations across the country.

In March 2024, the Israeli government began allowing some residents to return. However, many individuals from heavily damaged kibbutzim only started coming back in recent months, more than two years after the attacks and following a ceasefire reached in October 2025.

The Tekuma Authority said the large-scale return reflects the resilience of the region’s residents and emphasized the government’s significant investment in stabilizing and developing the area.

According to the report, approximately 1.4 billion shekels ($475.5 million) have been invested in education and health care infrastructure. An additional 1 billion shekels ($340 million) has been allocated to establish a new industrial park and support local businesses.

“Our mission is not limited to quickly rebuilding what was destroyed, but to leading a deep transformation that will ensure a prosperous future for the entire region,” said Aviad Friedman, head of the Tekuma Authority, in a statement.

“We are working tirelessly to build foundations for long-term growth,” he added.

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The plan is designed to renew and develop the region with significant demographic growth.

By JNS

Israel’s Cabinet on Sunday approved the outline for a strategic multi-year plan to rehabilitate and develop the Gaza Strip-adjacent “Tekuma” region and its population.

The plan constitutes a broad budgetary framework for five years (2024-2028) of up to 18 billion shekels ($4.9 billion) intended to lead to the rehabilitation of the region.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said, “In the area adjacent to the Gaza Strip at the start of the war, we established the Tekuma Authority.” (Tekuma means “revival” in Hebrew.)

“We provided a massive budget to rebuild the communities and to ensure that nobody will be left behind,” he added.

The outline, formulated in cooperation with the local authorities and communities, is designed to lead to the renewal and development of the region with significant demographic growth.

The framework will make the region “a prosperous and attractive focus and magnet for economic resilience, quality education, investments, and advanced and innovative agriculture,” the Prime Minister’s Office said in a statement.

With the framework’s approval, the Tekuma Authority will now produce a detailed multi-year, long-term roof plan to be published within 100 days.

Netanyahu said that Israel will ensure that the cities, rural communities, and various councils “will flourish and prosper for generations and surpass what was.

“We are committed to investing in education, employment, social services, assistance for evacuees, agriculture, businesses, and every field,” he said.

“I would like to commend all those who are engaged in this important work, which we will submit to the government today. The wheat is being sown in the kibbutzim in the area adjacent to the Gaza Strip—and it will grow,” the prime minister said.

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