Around 9,000 volunteers contributed to efforts to rebuild housing units in Kibbutz Kfar Aza, thanks to efforts by Brothers and Sisters in Arms, the organization announced on Thursday.
A ceremony was held in the newly renovated “Green Floors” neighborhood of the Kibbutz community to celebrate the extensive work done to rebuild the neighborhood. The effort was completed with the help of renovation professionals as well as individuals with a deep connection to the kibbutz.
The neighborhood was solely renovated by civilians and became the first residential area of the Gaza border communities deemed ready for occupancy following major restoration efforts.
The effort included four months of renovation and construction and stretched over the course of a year, culminating in the completion of 16 housing units, each measuring 40 square meters.
The project was initiated by Omri Ronen, one of the group’s leaders, whose grandmother, Nira Ronen, was murdered in the October 7 attack. His personal loss became the foundation of a broader mission: to rehabilitate the kibbutz and create infrastructure that would allow younger generations to return and rebuild.
“This entire project was executed and funded by the citizens of Israel,” said Ronen. “The volunteers came with love, with a spirit of giving, and with a profound sense of mission to help rebuild the kibbutz and the country.”
How much was invested in rehabilitating this Kfar Aza neighborhood?
Valued at roughly 4.5 million shekels, the new neighborhood is already being prepared to welcome young members of the kibbutz in the coming days.
Eyal Naveh, co-founder of Brothers and Sisters in Arms, called the project “a breath of new life” for the kibbutz. “This project tells the full story—when there is no functioning state, the citizens are the state,” Naveh said. “Together, we turned a vision into reality. This is just the beginning.”
Uri Epstein, head of the Sha’ar HaNegev Regional Council, reflected on the loss and trauma of the October attack, in which many residents of the area were killed or kidnapped. “On that terrible day, we were abandoned to our fate. Amid the darkness, good people arrived,” he said. “You have played a significant role in rehabilitating this region.”
Epstein emphasized that true healing could not begin without the return of the hostages still held in Gaza, including three Kfar Aza residents—Ziv, Gali, and Omri—among the 59 hostages believed to remain in captivity.
“Rebuilding is a national mission,” Ronen added. “The State of Israel is a masterpiece still in the making—our generation must complete the work.”