In a meeting with local council chiefs from communities near the Gaza border, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu indicated that the conflict with Hamas could extend into 2025.

During the discussion, Netanyahu reportedly responded to concerns raised by the local council chiefs regarding the ongoing safety and security issues in their areas. The council chiefs expressed reluctance from their residents about returning to communities 4-7 kilometers from the Gaza border, mainly due to persistent rocket fire and other security threats.

Addressing these concerns, Netanyahu agreed to revise the existing Defense Ministry framework which offers financial support to Israeli citizens willing to return to the evacuated communities near Gaza. The local council chiefs proposed delaying the return process until the summer or the beginning of the new school year, requesting state funding for temporary accommodation in the interim.

Netanyahu, acknowledging the council chiefs’ request, promised that the financial assistance would still be available at that time. He instructed relevant officials to develop the necessary framework to facilitate this arrangement.

In his public remarks at the meeting’s outset, Netanyahu is reported as saying, “We are determined to rehabilitate the kibbutzim and communities in what is known as the so-called Gaza envelope area, to return the residents to their homes, and to ensure that [the area] thrives and grows far more than it was before the war.”

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)