A year and seven months after they were evacuated in the wake of the October 7 assault, former residents of Gaza border communities up to four kilometers from the border were told not to return to their homes in the near future, Channel 12 News reported on Sunday evening.

According to the report, security officials in the Gaza border area were recently told that due to the current preparations to expand the war in Gaza, the commander of the Southern Command, Maj.-Gen. Yaniv Asor has recommended against the return of residents to border communities at this stage.

Some of these residents were slated to return to their homes at the beginning of this month, after an extended stay outside their communities since the beginning of the war. The Tkuma Directorate, which is overseeing the rehabilitation of southern and northern Israel, has even been fast-tracking the necessary infrastructure work to enable their return.

However, due to Israel’s decision to expand the war, security officials made the decision that it would not be safe for the residents to return.

As of now, a decision was made to delay the return of the residents until the end of June, but security officials estimate that if a broader war is launched, their return will be delayed again.

However, Maj.-Gen. Yasor said that the residents who have already returned to their homes will not be evacuated again, even if the fighting intensifies, and the IDF is prepared to protect them.

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)