Northern Israel Residents ‘Don’t Know What We Will Be Returning To’ After Cease-Fire

When Odie Arbel saw news reports that Israel and Hezbollah had agreed to a cease-fire, he felt a mix of relief and worry about the prospect of returning to Kibbutz Yiftah, just over a mile from the Israeli-Lebanese border.

He was excited about seeing the view of Mount Hermon from his home and the smell of grilled meat on his barbecue, he said, but he worried that the tight-knit community that existed before the war would be gone.

“We don’t know what we will be returning to,” said Mr. Arbel, 77. Families who left temporarily and enrolled their children in schools elsewhere, he noted, might choose to stay away permanently.

The cease-fire agreement has cast a light on what lies ahead for tens of thousands of displaced residents of northern Israel who have been moving between hotels, rentals and friends’ and relatives’ homes for more than a year.

It has made those residents wonder about the social fabric of their communities and whether they should return home at all. Some express worry that it is still not safe to go back, while others sound more hopeful.

Orly Gavishi-Sotto said that she, her husband and three daughters hoped to return to Hanita, a hilltop kibbutz with a view of the Mediterranean Sea, but added that she was worried the deal would leave Hezbollah in a position in which it can still threaten Israelis.