Victory: Gaza border population 10% higher than before Oct. 7

The Israeli government plans to double the Gaza border region’s population by 2033.

By World Israel News Staff

Nearly three years after the Hamas-led invasion and massacre of Oct. 7, 2023, which forced tens of thousands of Israelis from their homes, Israel’s Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS) reports that the population of the Gaza border region is now 10% larger than it was before the attacks.

The population growth comes as Israelis return to communities that were evacuated in the aftermath of the massacre, while thousands of others have moved to the region from elsewhere in the country in an effort to strengthen the southern home front.

According to the CBS, approximately 90% of the residents of Sderot and the Gaza-adjacent communities who were evacuated following the Oct. 7 attacks have since returned home.

The Western Negev region now has approximately 66,000 residents — about 5,000 more than before the Hamas invasion. The population increase reflects both the return of evacuees and an influx of new residents who have chosen to build their lives along the Gaza border.

Life has largely returned to normal in many of the communities that were evacuated following the massacres. Sderot, a city located roughly one kilometer from the Gaza Strip, has seen particularly significant population growth.

The city now has approximately 40,000 residents, compared with 37,000 in 2024, according to the CBS.

However, several kibbutzim are still undergoing extensive reconstruction, with some residents facing years of additional work before they can permanently return.

Kibbutz Nir Oz, one of the communities hardest hit during the Hamas rampage, is not expected to be ready for residents to return until 2027.

The government has set an even more ambitious goal for the region’s future, announcing plans to double the population of the Gaza-adjacent area by 2033.

As part of that effort, the government has invested heavily in infrastructure and approved new construction plans designed to accommodate significant population growth. The stated goal is to transform the communities along the Gaza border into a larger and stronger population center.

“We will continue to move forward toward achieving our central goal: doubling the population of the [‘Gaza Envelope’] to 120,000 residents. This is one of the most important Zionist missions of our time and a vital part of victory over our enemies,” MK Ze’ev Elkin said in January 2026.