JUST OFF THE MAIN ROAD, IN SIGHT OF southern Lebanon, builders tap away at concrete blocks of a half-built house, the sun merciless as it beats down. Equipped with its very own bomb shelter, a young family was preparing to move into the home in Kibbutz Matzuva, northern Israel.
But Ishay Efroni, head of security for the regional council covering the kibbutz, told Newsweek: "When they move here, I'm not going to sleep." A few months ago, Efroni had given the builders permission to resume work on the property, just a mile-and-a-half from the Lebanese border. The family should move in within two months, Efroni said when Newsweek visited in mid-September. Although deeply worried for their safety, Efroni said, he is anxious to get residents back to the north after nearly a year away from their homes. Weeks after Newsweek's tour of the kibbutz, the prospect of them unpacking their belongings in northern Israel seems more distant than ever.
Matzuva and its roughly 1,000 residents were evacuated shortly after Gaza-based Palestinian militant group Hamas launched its October 7 attacks, killing around 1,200 people and taking over 250 hostages. Israel then launched its war in Gaza, vowing to eradicate Hamas. The bombardment and ground operations have devastated Gaza. Hamas-run health authorities there say over 40,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israel's campaign, and the international community has sounded alarm bells over humanitarian emergencies facing displaced Gazans.
Israel's military has also exchanged fire with Lebanon-based, Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah almost the entire time, with Hezbollah saying it was acting in solidarity with Hamas. Conflict has intensified in recent weeks, with Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah and other senior officials killed in strikes by Israel, which is also believed to be behind the exploding pager and walkie-talkie attacks that killed at least 37 people and injured more than 3,000.
This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
Can Alternative Therapies Treat Cancer?
Doctor and breast cancer survivor Liz O'Riordan addresses misinformation around managing the disease
Falling for Romance
A new book, Nora Ephron at the Movies, celebrates the writer/director best known for her iconic rom-coms and strong female characters
Cracking the Norse Code
Walrus DNA has shown that Vikings were likely the first to have encountered Indigenous North Americans
Monumental Shift
The discovery of 165-million-year-old crystals Easter Island has upended the longheld notion of how the Earth's \"conveyor belt\" moves
'OUR FOREIGN POLICY AND DOMESTIC REFORMS ARE TWO SIDES OF THE SAME COIN'
It is a well-known fact across the globe that the North Korean regime is irrational and unpredictable, but we have been consistent in strengthening our defense posture against the threat from North Korea since the Korean War, and I believe that their conventional capability is much inferior to that of the Korean military.
'They Read My Eulogy As I Lay in an Open Grave'
Like Paris Hilton, Natasia Pelowski claims she was subjected to abuse at a teenage therapy program
Russian Economy Faces 'Burnout
Vladimir Putin admits difficulties” as the country’s key interest rate reaches a historic high
China's 'Silent Chemical War'
The U.S. must investigate Beijing's role in the manufacturing of fentanyl that is killing Americans, says one mom whose daughter died after accidentally taking the illicit substance
HARSH HEADWINDS
President Yoon Suk Yeol's BATTLE to reform a South Korea beset with structural problems under the specter of an increasingly aggressive neighbor to THE NORTH
Bridget Everett
BRIDGET EVERETT NEVER THOUGHT SHE'D BE THE LEAD OF A TV SHOW. \"I come from the downtown world in New York, a cabaret singer, and these things just don't happen, you don't find yourself with three seasons of HBO.
