The head of Sha'ar HaNegev Regional Council, Uri Epstein, has approached the IDF demanding clarification regarding the security status of Yakhini moshav, following a statement made by a senior IDF representative claiming the moshav is not defined as a front-line community in the Gaza envelope. In his letter, Epstein demanded the army clarify its position regarding its commitment to the security of Yakhini residents. The letter stated that "denying Yakhini's status as a front-line community contradicts army investigations, which found that terrorists targeted it from the beginning due to its strategic location, and the painful reality of six residents who were murdered in the community on that black Saturday."