North of the Gaza border, there is a hill that forms part of a ridgeline connecting Kibbutz Zikim with sand dunes that spill out to the north, toward Ashkelon. As one looks toward the Mediterranean Sea, the border with Gaza is on the left, to the south.
Around two years ago, this area was evacuated of Israeli civilians, and all that could be heard was the war against Hamas in Gaza; the ground shaking from artillery arrayed nearby, and tanks and infantry fighting in northern Gaza. Drones buzzed overhead.
Today, the war has been replaced by quiet, except for the sounds of the occasional drones still buzzing around. The IDF now controls a large buffer zone all along the border with the Gaza Strip, taking up around half of the enclave. The Jewish communities here, attacked on October 7, 2023, are still recovering.
This area no longer feels like a war zone and is no longer a military camp, the way it was for much of the Israel-Hamas War. Instead, agricultural work has picked and many people have returned to the border.
A sign of the return can be seen down the hill toward the sea. Here, the road branches off; one spur goes south toward northern Gaza. Another spur heads north toward Zikim beach. The beach was only recently reopened to the public after having been the scene of a massacre on October 7. One of the signs describing the area still has bullet holes in it.
However, the rest of the beach has been completely remodeled. A new lifeguard towers over bathrooms and an area with chairs and fake grass; a long building will serve snacks, apparently. The new buildings face the beach. On Wednesday, only a few beachgoers were present. One was doing pull-ups, and two sat on chairs looking out to sea.
From Zikim, the road meanders toward Route 232, which borders the Strip. There is a rail line that runs from Sderot northward. For part of the war, the rail line was closed due to threats. It re-opened in February 2025, and recently, some protective railcars were removed from the line. The line – passing near Kibbutz Erez and exposed to northern Gaza – had required protection from potential threats, such as anti-tank missile attacks.
Now, the IDF is in northern Gaza, and the train tracks appear to have a new blue wall protecting them. The IDF presence in all parts of Gaza close to the border offers more protection to the train lines than any wall, however. That sense of comfort is important for restoring life to the South.
People need to tangibly feel the increased security, not just hear about it. The Gaza border area is being rebuilt in this post-October 7 era. The kibbutzim are welcoming back members who were forced to evacuate during the war. New monuments and memorials to the lives lost dot the roadsides. It feels like the people are trying to return to life after the tragedies that befell their communities.
Each site we visited was beautiful and moving, but some felt distant, as if attempting to move into a future where October 7 doesn’t dominate the locals’ lives in the way that it has for the past two years of war.
Black Arrow site has been expanded
At the Black Arrow site, which overlooks Jabalya and northern Gaza, a memorial and historical site has been expanded.
It pays tribute to military operations in Gaza during the 1950s. The area has been cleaned of debris from the war. During most of the conflict in Gaza, this area was closed to the public, and army activity dominated. Now there is quiet, and one can overlook northern Gaza.
What were once Gaza houses across the border are now ruins. A long panorama image at the site indicates where Beit Hanun, Beit Lahiya, Jabalya, and Shejaia can be seen in the distance. These names all ring out from the war. The panorama photo must have been taken years ago because the multi-story buildings of Beit Hanun are all gone today, destroyed in the war.
While the site has been refurbished, one object remains from the October 7 attack: a burnt coffee cart with a short commemoration and explanation on its side.
As if to bookend the fate of the Black Arrow coffee cart, there is now a new Aroma branch at the gas station near Kfar Aza down Route 232. We asked how long it had been open, and someone said “four months.” Here is the contrast between the old and the new. Investment is coming to the Gaza border area, along with the state support for reconstruction.
Similarly, the military base at Nahal Oz is no longer a scorched site of the massacre. Instead, a memorial to the soldiers who were murdered there sits on a nearby hill. The memorial is humane and touching, with a picture of each victim, most of them women soldiers, identified by name and rank. Nonetheless, it feels detached from the all-too-recent atrocities of that day.
New landscape for kibbutzim
As Route 232 heads south toward the border with Egypt, there are many signs of the changes to the landscape.
The kibbutzim have new fences, and areas along the fences have been cleared of foliage and debris. At Alumim, new warehouses have been built. Solar panels line the roofs of the warehouses, and hay is stacked several stories high. Near Kibbutz Kissufim, the fields of avocados and potatoes have been planted.
People are returning to these communities. Further south, the Kerem Shalom border crossing between Egypt and Gaza is quiet. In the distance, smoke billows from somewhere in northern Gaza. While there is a ceasefire, the black smoke is a reminder that the war continues to cast a dark shadow.