Photo Essay: Kibbutz Alumim Comes Back to Life

Jerusalem, 18 August, 2024 (TPS) -- During the past week, 100 families, the majority of Kibbutz Alumim’s approximately 500 residents, returned to their agricultural community near the Gaza border for the first time since October 7.

While 16 families still do not feel comfortable moving back yet, returning residents hope that this coming year will strengthen them and encourage them to do so, Alumim resident Yael Porat told The Israel Press Service.

The return of families to this religious kibbutz follows 10 months of living in hotels as evacuees. Alumim’s former businesses include agriculture, poultry, dairy, vegetable packing, and more. While some of the kibbutz has been rebuilt, the process is slow, and much work remains to be done.

During Hamas’s October 7 attack, five soldiers and 22 foreign laborers from Thailand and Nepal were killed at Kibbutz Alumim. Another eight foreign workers were kidnapped.

The remains of a residence for foreign workers burnt during Hamas’s Oct. 7 attack seen on Aug. 15, 2024.

A foreign worker stands next to a poster calling for the return of kidnapped Nepalese student Bipan Joshi. He was last seen on Oct. 7 being taken captive with three Thai laborers while trying to save others.

Kibbutz Alumim resident Yaakov Kamin, who worked in the cowshed until Hamas destroyed it.

A new tractor stands as a symbol of hope. The buildings of Gaza can be seen in the distant background.

Photos by Yoav Dudkevitch/TPS-IL