Gaza envelope population tops pre-October 7 levels

Three years after Hamas tried to empty Israel's Gaza border communities, they are fuller than ever. About 66,000 people now live in the Tekuma region, roughly 5,000 more than on the eve of the October 7 massacre, according to figures released Thursday by the Tekuma Directorate.

The region, which covers Sderot, Eshkol, Sha'ar HaNegev, Sdot Negev, and Hof Ashkelon, has grown by about 10%, two and a half times the national rate. More than 90% of its residents have returned, and thousands of newcomers have chosen to make their homes along a border that, not long ago, symbolized Israel's deepest vulnerability. 

Sderot, long the emblem of life under rocket fire, now has around 40,000 residents. The directorate aims to double the region's population by 2033, a goal that would have sounded fanciful in the fall of 2023 and now seems within reach.

That confidence rests on a transformed security reality. The IDF now holds more than 60% of the Gaza Strip, well beyond the lines set when the October 2025 ceasefire took effect, pushing the threat back from the fence and giving families the assurance they need to come home.

Returning to the hardest-hit kibbutzim

Most evacuated communities are back, and the last four are following. More than 96% of Kissufim's residents have returned. Holit began its return at the end of August, and Kfar Aza residents are expected to start coming home at the end of September.

Be'eri, which suffered some of the worst devastation of October 7, will begin welcoming residents back in late December, with the return continuing through July 2027. Its NIS 473 million reconstruction budget covers the renovation of hundreds of homes and public buildings, along with new housing.

In Nir Oz, where a quarter of the community was killed or kidnapped, families are expected back in 2027. Work continues on a NIS 232 million budget: ten new homes have been built and about 30 renovated so far, with dozens more planned. That residents are choosing to rebuild on the very ground where their neighbors were murdered says more about Israeli resolve than any statistic.

Holit has been allocated about NIS 57 million to restore 110 residential and public buildings and upgrade its water, sewage, and electricity systems. In Kfar Aza, NIS 211 million is funding the renovation of about 280 buildings and the rebuilding of 98 homes.

A NIS 17 billion bet on the south

The multi-year plan to rebuild and develop the region totals about NIS 17 billion. By the end of 2025, NIS 11.6 billion had been committed, with another NIS 2.8 billion earmarked for 2026. About NIS 3.18 billion has gone to reconstruction and resettlement, including temporary housing.

The investment extends well beyond housing. By June 2026, about NIS 880 million had been spent on security, including fences, gates, protective systems, and local defense teams. 

Education has received about NIS 1 billion, and healthcare more than NIS 466 million as of the end of 2025. The message is clear: the state is not merely patching up the south but betting on its future.

Tekuma Directorate head Aviad Friedman said the focus is now on growth. "Our mission is to create the conditions that will allow the region to continue rehabilitating, growing, and attracting new residents," he said.

Hamas set out on October 7 to make the border uninhabitable. Three years on, with the IDF firmly entrenched inside Gaza and the region's population at a record high, the south has delivered its answer.