Nearing 600 days since the Hamas-led invasion on Oct. 7, 2023, the Israeli government published a status report on Monday stating that 92% of the 64,000 residents displaced during the terrorist onslaught have returned to their homes in the “Gaza Envelope.”
The rest, some 5,000 residents, are living in temporary, state-funded accommodations, according to the report.
The “Gaza Envelope” refers to the populated area within seven kilometers (4.3 miles) of the Strip, which are within mortar range of the enclave.
Renovation and rebuilding efforts in three out of 13 communities hit the hardest on Oct. 7 have been completed, wrote the Tkuma Directorate, also known as the Rebirth Administration, which was established in the wake of the devastation wrought to the Israeli communities situated along the border from the Gazan terrorists.
In total, 1,850 residential buildings have been designated for renovation, with work completed or is in advanced stages for some 970 residences, the report read.
In addition, 110 homes have been completely reconstructed out of some 420 designated homes.
The physical reconstruction budget of the Tkuma Directorate for all communities stands at approximately 1.4 billion shekels ($390 million), with around 1.1 billion shekels ($310 million) allocated to the 10 communities that suffered the most severe damage.
The budget is four times the Israel Tax Authority’s damage assessment for these communities, the status report read.
The Tkuma Administration further stated that Kibbutzim Be’eri, Kerem Shalom, Nirim and Re’im were in the most advanced stages of restoration out of the 13 kibbutzim and small towns.
The report was published ahead of the 600-day mark on Wednesday of the war, initiated by Hamas and other terrorists who murdered some 1,200 people in Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, and abducted another 251.
