The IDF on Thursday announced a revised “security position” regarding the return of residents to their communities close to the Gaza Strip, following displacement due to Hamas’s attack on October 7.

The IDF says it has now deemed it safe for inhabitants to return to areas that are located more than 4 kilometers (approximately 2.5 miles) away from the Gaza border. Additionally, it has identified 18 communities within the 0- to 4-kilometer range as safe for return. These include Zikim, Karmia, Yad Mordechai, Erez, Or Haner, Ibim, Sderot, Nir Am, Gevim, Mefalsim, Sa’ad, Alumim, Reim, Magen, Nir Yitzhak, Shlomit, Naveh, and Bnei Netzarim.

However, the IDF stressed that the return does not signify a complete absence of risk, acknowledging the possibility of rocket fire from Gaza targeting these border towns. The decision to allow residents back into these communities is being made through collaborative discussions between the Home Front Command and local authorities. Each community’s return timing is determined individually, based on an ongoing assessment of the situation.

As these plans unfold, some residents of the border communities have already made their way back home, while others continue to stay in state-funded accommodations or with family members, waiting for a safer and more stable environment to return to their daily lives.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)