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Families moving to Nahal Oz

Twenty families move to Gaza border community

Two years after 19 families move away from Kibbutz Nahal Oz in the Gaza border area following Operation Protective Edge, 20 new families have moved in, and are expected to become full members of the kibbutz

After Operation Protective Edge ended in the summer of 2014, Kibbutz Nahal Oz, located only a few hundred yards from Gaza, was surveying the damage. 19 families had left for good. They couldn't see themselves continuing to live under the threat of Qassam rocket attacks from Hamas.

 

 

However today, less than two years after the war, 20 new families - including parents with children – have come to replace those that left. In the next few days, the kibbutz will vote on whether or not to allow them to become members.

 

They could have lived on any kibbutz in the center of the country or in the Galilee. Yet despite the threat of another war in the south this summer, they still decided to come to Nahal Oz.


Kibbutz Nahal Oz (Photo: Roee Idan)
Kibbutz Nahal Oz (Photo: Roee Idan)

Two of the new members are Michael and Safi Magan, parents to four kids originally from Moshav Herut outside of Netanya.

 

"We could have chosen to live anywhere in Israel," Safi said, "but we were looking for a warm place with warm people. We looked at a lot of different places, and in the end, we chose Nahal Oz."

 

Safi continued, saying "while we did weigh the security situation in our decision, there is no doubt that the move we made was done out of Zionist principals. I personally am Zionist to the bone."

 

Another couple are Noa and Gil Shaked, parents to three children, and who came from Ofarim in the center of the country.

 

"We're aware that there might be some difficult times here, but the benefits outweigh the drawbacks – the people here are warm and embracing. We feel that we've found a home which we will stay in for the rest of our lives."

 

Soldiers on Kibbutz Nahal Oz during Operation Protective Edge (Photo: Reuters)
Soldiers on Kibbutz Nahal Oz during Operation Protective Edge (Photo: Reuters)

 

The first families started coming to the kibbutz immediately after Operation Protective Edge, and the most recent arrivals only move in a few weeks ago. The families are currently living in temporary housing. The families will start to build their own houses soon.

 

Kibbutz Nahal Oz is a semi-privatized kibbutz, and is a symbol of the settlement struggle. The kibbutz was founded in 1951 and soon after began to suffer from Arab Fedayin attacks. The Fedayin were Arabs living in Gaza supported by the Egyptians who attacked Jewish kibbutzim and moshavim.

 

Meanwhile, the kibbutz has withstood thousands of rocket and mortar attacks emanating from Gaza over the last 16 years. A four and a half year old child – Daniel Trugeman – was killed when a Hamas mortar scored a direct hit on his house on the kibbutz.

 

With the addition of the 20 families, the number of people living on the kibbutz stands at 400 people.

 


פרסום ראשון: 05.23.16, 19:00
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