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Evacuated Southern Residents Find Temporary New Home As War Continues to Rage On
People wave Israeli flags following the release of hostages who were seized during the Oct. 7 attack by Palestinian terrorist group Hamas and held in the Gaza Strip, in Ofakim, Israel, Nov. 30, 2023. Photo: REUTERS/Alexander Ermochenko
The residents of Kibbutz Sufa, a southern town of 227, have found a new temporary home more than 3 months after being forced from their homes because of the war. Like the more than 100,000 Israelis displaced from their homes in the north and south, Sufa’s residents were living in a hotel in Eilat, though on Thursday, 30 families moved into their new homes in Ofakim. Another 50 families moved into temporary homes in Ramat Gan.
Residents spoke to Hebrew media, one of them, 22-year-old Yael Alexandrovitz, saying, “The landscape is different and everything is different. We are far from our friends, the families are a little far, but we are surrounded from all directions. I can’t say it’s a happy or sad day for me. There are others who want to come and lay down their heads. On October 7, everything broke and fell apart… [but] the kibbutz won. Most people are still with us.”
Her partner, Elia Lilienthal — who jumped to action on October 7, when Hamas terrorists entered their city during their raid on southern Israel, killing more 1,200 Israelis and taking over 240 hostage — was there for the move. She spoke about her experience on that day: “That day, when everyone was uncertain, I was certain. His walkie-talkie was with me, which allowed me to understand what was going on around me. And I had someone to rely on. That day there was no army and there were no planes… But I had the person I can trust the most. He killed four terrorists outside the house. I feel that I came out stronger mentally than the other people. This was the day that broke everyone.”
The kibbutz was temporarily taken over by Hamas on the day of the attack, with three members being killed. Okafim, where the residents are now living, was also taken over by Hamas, with 50 Israelis being killed by the terrorists.
Another resident, Ziv Chai, said, “We were evacuated to Eilat. I never thought I would live there. It’s a strange city to live in, but I’ve gotten used to the quiet. It’s a little sad to say goodbye to Eilat and go back to a kind of normal life, but I’m glad it’s happening. We hope we can build a life here … I plan to find a job here and just live life. Like everyone else, eventually, I want to return to the kibbutz. This is my home. I don’t really see myself living anywhere else long-term.”
The mayor of Ofakim, Yitzhak Danino, welcomed the new residents, saying, “The terrorists planned one fate for us, and one fate unites us here, together as one people. We are brotherly people. We are happy and proud that we had the privilege of hosting you, and we can assure you that we will do everything to make you feel at home. The residents of Ofakim are warm, loving, and hospitable people, a city of good people, and after October 7, a city of heroic people.”
The post Evacuated Southern Residents Find Temporary New Home As War Continues to Rage On first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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After False Dawns, Gazans Hope Trump Will Force End to Two-Year-Old War
Palestinians walk past a residential building destroyed in previous Israeli strikes, after Hamas agreed to release hostages and accept some other terms in a US plan to end the war, in Nuseirat, central Gaza Strip October 4, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Mahmoud Issa
Exhausted Palestinians in Gaza clung to hopes on Saturday that US President Donald Trump would keep up pressure on Israel to end a two-year-old war that has killed tens of thousands and displaced the entire population of more than two million.
Hamas’ declaration that it was ready to hand over hostages and accept some terms of Trump’s plan to end the conflict while calling for more talks on several key issues was greeted with relief in the enclave, where most homes are now in ruins.
“It’s happy news, it saves those who are still alive,” said 32-year-old Saoud Qarneyta, reacting to Hamas’ response and Trump’s intervention. “This is enough. Houses have been damaged, everything has been damaged, what is left? Nothing.”
GAZAN RESIDENT HOPES ‘WE WILL BE DONE WITH WARS’
Ismail Zayda, 40, a father of three, displaced from a suburb in northern Gaza City where Israel launched a full-scale ground operation last month, said: “We want President Trump to keep pushing for an end to the war, if this chance is lost, it means that Gaza City will be destroyed by Israel and we might not survive.
“Enough, two years of bombardment, death and starvation. Enough,” he told Reuters on a social media chat.
“God willing this will be the last war. We will hopefully be done with the wars,” said 59-year-old Ali Ahmad, speaking in one of the tented camps where most Palestinians now live.
“We urge all sides not to backtrack. Every day of delay costs lives in Gaza, it is not just time wasted, lives get wasted too,” said Tamer Al-Burai, a Gaza City businessman displaced with members of his family in central Gaza Strip.
After two previous ceasefires — one near the start of the war and another earlier this year — lasted only a few weeks, he said; “I am very optimistic this time, maybe Trump’s seeking to be remembered as a man of peace, will bring us real peace this time.”
RESIDENT WORRIES THAT NETANYAHU WILL ‘SABOTAGE’ DEAL
Some voiced hopes of returning to their homes, but the Israeli military issued a fresh warning to Gazans on Saturday to stay out of Gaza City, describing it as a “dangerous combat zone.”
Gazans have faced previous false dawns during the past two years, when Trump and others declared at several points during on-off negotiations between Hamas, Israel and Arab and US mediators that a deal was close, only for war to rage on.
“Will it happen? Can we trust Trump? Maybe we trust Trump, but will Netanyahu abide this time? He has always sabotaged everything and continued the war. I hope he ends it now,” said Aya, 31, who was displaced with her family to Deir Al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip.
She added: “Maybe there is a chance the war ends at October 7, two years after it began.”
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Mass Rally in Rome on Fourth Day of Italy’s Pro-Palestinian Protests
A Pro-Palestinian demonstrator waves a Palestinian flag during a national protest for Gaza in Rome, Italy, October 4, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Claudia Greco
Large crowds assembled in central Rome on Saturday for the fourth straight day of protests in Italy since Israel intercepted an international flotilla trying to deliver aid to Gaza, and detained its activists.
People holding banners and Palestinian flags, chanting “Free Palestine” and other slogans, filed past the Colosseum, taking part in a march that organizers hoped would attract at least 1 million people.
“I’m here with a lot of other friends because I think it is important for us all to mobilize individually,” Francesco Galtieri, a 65-year-old musician from Rome, said. “If we don’t all mobilize, then nothing will change.”
Since Israel started blocking the flotilla late on Wednesday, protests have sprung up across Europe and in other parts of the world, but in Italy they have been a daily occurrence, in multiple cities.
On Friday, unions called a general strike in support of the flotilla, with demonstrations across the country that attracted more than 2 million, according to organizers. The interior ministry estimated attendance at around 400,000.
Italy’s right-wing government has been critical of the protests, with Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni suggesting that people would skip work for Gaza just as an excuse for a longer weekend break.
On Saturday, Meloni blamed protesters for insulting graffiti that appeared on a statue of the late Pope John Paul II outside Rome’s main train station, where Pro-Palestinian groups have been holding a protest picket.
“They say they are taking to the streets for peace, but then they insult the memory of a man who was a true defender and builder of peace. A shameful act committed by people blinded by ideology,” she said in a statement.
Israel launched its Gaza offensive after Hamas terrorists staged a cross border attack on October 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people and taking 251 people hostage.
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Hamas Says It Agrees to Release All Israeli Hostages Under Trump Gaza Plan
Smoke rises during an Israeli military operation in Gaza City, as seen from the central Gaza Strip, October 2, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Dawoud Abu Alkas
Hamas said on Friday it had agreed to release all Israeli hostages, alive or dead, under the terms of US President Donald Trump’s Gaza proposal, and signaled readiness to immediately enter mediated negotiations to discuss the details.