Two thirds of young adults reluctant to return home to northern Israel, survey finds

Although Jerusalem has withdrawn most of its ground forces since the war ended, it still controls five strategic positions in Southern Lebanon.

By JNS

Two out of every three Israeli young adults aged 19-35 who were forced out of their homes near the northern border due to the war with Iran-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon do not intend to return or are hesitant to do so, according to a survey presented to Knesset lawmakers on Tuesday.

According to the figures shared with the Special Committee on Young Israelis by Lobby 1701, which represents evacuees, 84% of the young adults have yet to return to their communities.

In addition, 67% of those surveyed said they did not intend to return at all, or are reluctant due to the lack of “physical security, economic concerns, and poor infrastructure in the area,” according to Lobby 1701.

With the outbreak of war on Oct. 7, 2023, and the near-daily Hezbollah aerial attacks that began a day later and continued until a truce was agreed in late November, some 16,000 youngsters were evacuated from the north on government orders. Several thousand more opted to leave of their own volition.

According to the study conducted by Raz Malka, one of the founders of Lobby 1701, 70% of evacuees aged 19-35 reported a decline in mental resilience. Half of them developed post-traumatic stress disorder.

“Until Oct. 7, there were 25 of us friends in Kiryat Shmona; today, only one remains,” Malka told members of the Knesset committee. He continued, “The young people willing to return speak of an ideological connection to the area, but the vast majority have lost hope for change.”

“If the young people don’t return, there will be no population growth in the region—eventually, there will be no one left to live there,” he said.

Malka’s organization derives its name from the U.N. Security Council resolution that ended the 2006 Second Lebanon War and mandated that Hezbollah move north of the Litani River, some 18 miles from the border.

The situation in Lebanon remains volatile following the end of the truce with Beirut on Feb. 18. The deal took effect on Nov. 27 and ended more than a year of war, after Hezbollah began attacks on the Jewish state one day after the Hamas-led massacre in southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.

Although Jerusalem has withdrawn most of its ground forces since the war ended, it still controls five strategic positions in Southern Lebanon. Israeli officials have stated that the IDF will retain control of these areas until the Lebanese army demonstrates it can maintain security there.

On Jan. 5, the Israeli government unveiled a 3.4 billion shekel ($918 million) plan to boost the return by March of the 60,000 residents who had been evacuated from at-risk locales near the border.

Israel Defense Forces Maj. Gen. Ori Gordin, who commands the army’s Northern Command, declared on Jan. 29 that with the elimination of around 70% of Hezbollah’s terrorist firepower, “it is safe to live here.”

“The north will return to what it was, and much more,” the senior IDF official said. “This begins with the security changes we implemented.”

“Thousands of terrorists have been neutralized, killed in battle or taken out in targeted strikes. More than 70% of Hezbollah’s firepower has been destroyed, and it can no longer mount an effective strike,” he said of the military’s efforts, which included an eight-week long ground invasion.