Kibbutz Nir Oz votes to rebuild following October 7 destruction

A majority of Kibbutz Nir Oz members voted on Monday to return to their destroyed homes and rebuild, instead of relocating the kibbutz.

The kibbutz was among the hardest hit communities during Hamas's Oct. 7, 2023, invasion of southern Israel. One in four residents was either killed or kidnapped, including the Bibas family, mother Shiri, husband Yarden and their two children, Ariel, 4, and Kfir, 9 months old.

In a letter to the government, the kibbutz members stressed their expectations for a large-scale and generous construction plan, according to Israel's Channel 12 News.

In May, Israel Defense Forces Brig. Gen. Moshe Edri, the head of the government body overseeing the rehabilitation of the Gaza border region, said residents of Be’eri, Nir Oz and Kfar Aza would only be able to return home in two to three years.

Edri said that residents of those communities would be set up in temporary housing until then.

In December, Israel’s Cabinet approved the outline for a strategic multi-year plan to rehabilitate and develop the Gaza-adjacent region and its population.

The plan comprises a broad budgetary framework for five years (2024-2028) of up to 18 billion shekels ($4.9 billion).

Following the Oct. 7 massacre, all residents within seven kilometers of the Gaza border were evacuated.

In January, the IDF Home Front Command allowed the partial return of some communities, including those of Kibbutz Bror Hayil, Kibbutz Dorot, Kibbutz Gvar’am, Moshav Mavki’im, Moshav Yakhini and Kibbutz Yad Mordechai.