2023-12-07 09:45:35
His wife and young children took refuge in the north of the country. But he practically stayed there all the time. Seven kilometers from the Gaza Strip, he lives to the rhythm of bombings, truces and releases of hostages. Among the victims of October 7, some were his neighbors, as were the hostages.
“These are people we know and so it was an immense joy (to see them freed, editor’s note). But on the other hand, these children are coming back, but their dad remained (among the hostages, editor’s note). The chance that he will return now… With each passing day, the chances diminish and in any case, Hamas will never return all the hostages. For these families, it is unimaginable, unimaginable.”
And then the fighting has gotten even closer in recent days since the end of the truce and the Israeli offensive on the south of the Gaza Strip and Khan Younes in particular.
“Here, Khan Younes is opposite the kibbutz. So, as the crow flies, we are eight kilometers away. Indeed, for two or three days, the bombings during the night have been incredible. The noise… It’s almost unbearable. The children will leave with my wife, I imagine tomorrow.”
The bombings during the night are incredible
“The south of Gaza is going to be even more complicated than what we experienced in the North. Then there is international pressure… I have the impression that the bombings are intensifying because they want to try to ‘finish the job’ in quotes before they are forced to… I imagine they won’t be able to go all the way. Either way, they won’t be able to eliminate Hamas. So yes , these are very very strong fights now, indeed, it is very eventful here in the region.”
Villages near the Gaza Strip remain virtually empty. The residents do not know if they will ever return there one day as the trauma created by the outbreak of violence on October 7 is so profound. Hubert thinks that many families will not return.
“These people will not come back to live here. All the people who have families, grandchildren… even if it is too early to say, (I cannot speak on their behalf), but all those who I know, there is not one of them who thinks of coming back here. These children have seen things they should not have seen and every corner of our region will remind them of what happened. It will give trauma. They will need a lot of time to repair themselves. Here, they won’t be able to do it.”
They are not Zionists like their parents were
“Those who will stay are the old ones because they have some, as they say, they have known others. They built these kibbutzim. But the young ones are already the second or third generation . They live in Israel, they are not Zionists like their parents were. There is no longer any ideology. These are people who want to live. In my opinion these families will leave.”
What is certain is that two months later, Sde Nitsan is practically empty. Hubert stays there and acts as guardian of the place while awaiting a hypothetical return of the inhabitants.
According to the UN, approximately 85% of the population of the Gaza Strip has been displaced, representing 1.9 million people. The UN, which today believes that it is impossible to set up secure zones to accommodate civilians fleeing the fighting, inside the Palestinian enclave.
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