Ohad Avrahami (18), from Kiryat Shmona, is spending this year in a Mechina (pre-military academy program) at Kibbutz Mefalsim in the Gaza envelope. “I came here from one border to the other,” he told Davar. “I believe in the concept of the last furrow: if we are not here, they will be here.”
On the differences and similarities between what is happening in his home and family and what he has come to know in the Gaza envelope, Abrahami says: “The Gaza envelope is an amazing community where there is a strong sense of togetherness, while in the north it is not like that. Sderot and the kibbutzim feel as though they are together; with us, each one has its own niche, each kibbutz separately. First Hezbollah must be dismantled, and only then can we talk about a political arrangement with Lebanon.”
Avida Bachar, who lost his wife and son in their home in Kibbutz Be’eri on October 7, said: “We used to call it ‘drizzles’ of rockets and got used to it, until they slaughtered us. We came here to tell you that our hearts are with you. We understand the situation. I wish that we, and everyone else, would shout all day that we are not willing to live next to them: get them away from us. Faced with Iran’s determination, we are in a state of weakness.”
Alon Davidi, Mayor of Sderot, said: “I came with the simplest message: the residents of the Gaza envelope are saying to the residents of the north, ‘We are one.’”
When asked what needs to be done in the North, Davidi responded that “we need to dismantle Hezbollah, just as they did here. We’re on our way to dismantling Hamas. We need to keep striking them regardless of our relations with the United States. Anyone who imagines that Hamas, Hezbollah, or the Houthis will change their views is mistaken.”
Davidi stated that if he were the mayor of Kiryat Shmona addressing his residents, he would tell them that “this is the best city in the world—and they should come back.”
Yaniv Hagi of Kibbutz Be’eri, the organizer and initiator of the event, said: “In the audience, on the stage, and behind the scenes, there are people with a wide range of views. If we can stand together at the same rally and sing Hatikvah together, then we can also share the same country and unite. And we must remember that in the months ahead.”
Amit Yifrach, Secretary General of the Moshav Movement and Chairman of the Israel Farmers Federation, said: “Despite the geographical distance between the Gaza envelope communities and the communities along the northern border, all of our communities are one body. Even now, in your difficult hour, you are not alone, and our hearts are with you. This is the true strength of the State of Israel, mutual responsibility!”
Lior Zimche, Secretary General of the Kibbutz Movement, said:
“Your presence here this evening, residents of the Gaza envelope, in support of your brothers in the north, is an unforgettable lesson in mutual responsibility. You, who endured the severe upheaval of October 7 and carry its consequences every single day, are nonetheless finding the strength to issue a shared statement on behalf of our brothers in the north.
I repeatedly encounter community leaderships that are managing life under almost impossible conditions. They maintain education, culture, and a living communal spirit, despite deep uncertainty and grave danger. Together with our partners in the Moshav Movement and the regional councils, we will continue to serve as a safety net, strengthen our communities, and will not relinquish the right of residents in the south and north to live in their homes in peace, security, and dignity.”
Uri Epstein, the head of the Sha’ar HaNegev Regional Council, said:
“I returned from the north with a heart full of concern, but also with deep appreciation. I met strong communities there, local authorities carrying an immense burden of responsibility on their shoulders, and residents asking for the most basic thing: to live in their homes in safety.
We will gather together to tell the residents of the north that they are not alone. Their voice is our voice as well, and their struggle to live safely along the border is a struggle that belongs to all of us.”
