(TPS) Residents of the Gaza border communities and security experts are sounding the alarm over mounting evidence that Hamas is preparing for a new wave of terror.
Despite ongoing Israeli military operations and the partial return of evacuated residents to near Gaza border communities, those living and serving near the Gaza Strip warn that the threat remains very real, and the lessons of October 7 have yet to be fully internalized by the government and military leadership.
“I don’t see myself living in a war zone,” Hila Baruch Lilian, a leading member of the Otef Israel Forum representing border community families, told The Press Service of Israel. “The sounds, the uncertainty—it affects our children and daily life.”
Since evacuating with her family in October 2023, she has refused to return, warning that recent testimonies from the soldiers guarding the buffer zone perimeter reveal dangerous gaps in security.
“Their hands are tied—they can only shoot armed individuals. The rest require checks and approval, just like before October 7, when terrorists crept closer until they broke through the fence.”
Indeed, especially in the last week, reports of suspected attempted infiltrations, suspicious gunfire, and military alerts have unsettled the already traumatized communities. Even the symbolic planting of trees for Tu BiShvat was canceled in the Gaza border area this week due to security concerns.
Adding to residents’ anxiety is the fortification of the recently reopened train line to Sderot with concrete barriers to shield passengers from potential rocket fire. Lilian called the sight of the fortified railway cars a painful reminder that the government and military’s promise of safety to the residents was premature.
“After 15 months of war, is this the best we can do?” she asked. “Walls and armored train cars? This is not a solution—it is an admission of failure.”
Lt.-Col. (res.) Yaron Bouskila, CEO of the Israel Defense and Security Forum, acknowledged that Hamas’s capabilities had been weakened during the war but emphasized that the terrorist group remained a significant threat.
“Hamas is not what it was before October 7, but it still has the capacity to harm our forces, plant explosives, fire a certain number of rockets, and achieve tactical successes,” he told TPS-IL.
Bouskila, a reserve operations officer in the IDF Gaza Division, echoed the residents’ concerns and pointed to the root cause.
“The reason Hamas retains these abilities is simple—we have not fought to achieve a decisive victory,” he explained. “We allowed Hamas to maintain its control over the area and handed it the humanitarian aid, which ultimately became their source of power in Gaza—both in asserting dominance over the population and in its ability to acquire supplies and replenish resources needed to continue producing weapons.”
Despite over a year of military operations, Bouskila warned that these measures have failed to break Hamas’ hold on Gaza.
“While we fought them, we also strengthened their grip on Gaza,” Bouskila added. “Now, a decisive offensive is the only path forward.”
The voices of those who survived Hamas captivity offer chilling confirmation to Bouskila’s claim, especially as more hostages have been released over the past month as part of a deal between Israel and Hamas. The testimonies of the freed hostages, alongside the carefully orchestrated images of their release—designed to project Hamas’ strength—convey a clear and troubling message: Hamas remains determined to continue its attacks.
Released hostage Chen Goldstein Almog, who was abducted to Gaza along with her three children after her husband and daughter were murdered on October 7, recounted at a conference in May 2024 what her captors told her.
“They said there will be another October 7,” she recalled. “They asked, ‘How many of us do you think will come next time? 20,000? 40,000? We will rebuild, and we’ll return. We have nothing to lose.’”
This warning reverberates deeply with those who understand the reality on the ground. Lilian emphasized that residents of the Gaza border region are not waiting passively for the next attack.
“We are doing everything we can to raise awareness,” she said. “We will not accept fortifications as a solution—that is the problem. The solution is eliminating the threat.”
As Israel pauses its offensive in hopes of securing the release of hostages, those closest to the frontlines warn that Hamas is not pausing its preparations.
“Their motivation has not waned,” Lilian warned. “They are watching us, and they are ready. We must not wait for another catastrophe to act.”
At least 1,200 people were killed, and 252 Israelis and foreigners were taken hostage in Hamas’s attacks on Israeli communities near the Gaza border on October 7. Of the 76 remaining hostages, more than 30 have been declared dead.
