Life on the Border with the Gaza Strip

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Perspective of a young mother in the Gaza Envelope

From the child who was born here. The one who has been aware and afraid of the possible dangers since she was young — since any of us really worried about infiltration. The young woman who had to move the venue of her wedding within three days’ notice — because it was supposed to have taken place at the pool on our kibbutz on the border on July 4th 2014 — when the escalation leading into the Operation Protective Edge had begun. From the young mother who decided to make this the place where she would have her babies. From MY baby: The perspective of a young mother in the Gaza Envelope:

“Last night the piercing alarm of the incoming rocket warning jolted me from my sleep, flooding my body with so much adrenaline that I couldn’t get back to sleep again. Today, Ziv, who understood that something bad was happening to us, lay in the safe room so frightened that she simply “shut down.” Her body understood that a 3-year-old should not have the ability to deal with a battlefield, so she just fell asleep.

“Our country must understand that the only possible option that is at all acceptable, is to end this round of violence only after a long-term, sustainable quiet returns to the surrounding area.

“This is NOT the life we deserve. And this is CERTAINLY not the life our children deserve.”

About the Author

The writer (aka "Zioness on the Border" on social media) is a mother and a grandmother who since 1975 has been living and raising her family on Kibbutz Nirim along the usually paradisiacal, sometimes hellishly volatile border with the Gaza Strip. She founded and moderates a 13K-strong Facebook group named "Life on the Border with Gaza". The writer blogs about the dreams and dramas that are part of border kibbutznik life. Until recently, she could often be found photographing her beloved region, which is exactly what she had planned to do at sunrise, October 7th. Fortunately, she did not go out that morning. As a result, she survived the murderous terror infiltrations of that tragic day, hunkering down in her safe room with her 33-year-old son for 11 terrifying hours. So many of her friends and neighbors, though, were not so lucky. More than she can even count. Adele was an educator for 38 years in her regional school, and has been one of the go-to voices of the Western Negev when escalations on the southern border have journalists looking for people on the ground. On October 7, her 95% Heaven transformed into 100% Hell. Since then she has given a multitude of interviews. She has gone on five missions abroad in support of Israel and as an advocate for her people. In addition to fighting the current wave of lies and blood libels about the Jewish state, she is raising money to help restore their Paradise so that members of her kibbutz can return to their homes on the border, where they can begin to heal. If you wish to learn more about how you can help her and her community return home, please feel free to drop her a line.