Nir Oz Community Completed Transition to Temporary Housing

Residents of Kibbutz Nir Oz today completed their entry into their new apartments in Kiryat Gat as part of their absorption in the city. The transition was celebrated in a welcoming ceremony on behalf of the Kiryat Gat municipality through the company 'Yiftah' and the residents of the city who welcomed the community with a warm hug. The residents live in two residential towers in the Carmei Gat neighborhood, near which a dedicated compound will be built for the use of the kibbutz members, with a dining room, kindergartens, study and recreation rooms and more.

Hundreds of residents of Kiryat Gat excitedly accompanied the bus on which the members of the kibbutz arrived, standing on the sides of the road and waving flags. "We want to be here for each other and it is important for us to be there for Nir Oz," says Batia Tanenbaum, a resident of the city. "It is important for us to embrace and help wherever we can because in the end, all of Israel are brothers and we help each other and from here we will grow together," she adds. When the bus arrived at its destination, in the parking lot of the towers, Mayor Aviram Dahari got on it, and welcomed the new residents with warm greetings, together with the person responsible for their reception in the city, Moriah Zaguri, chairwoman of Yiftach Development Company Kiryat Gat.

Mayor of Kiryat Gat, Aviram Dahari: "In the darkness we found a spark of light and an opportunity for the growth of a strong and fortified society. When the opportunity we received is a gathering of the residents of Kiryat Gat and the residents of Kibbutz Nir Oz for a shared life, even if temporary, in Kiryat Gat. A melting pot that no one could have imagined, we are entering it with great love and anticipation. Leftist next to rightist, orthodox and secular, will live side by side, and their children will grow up and play together in the same neighborhood. Brothers and sisters together. We welcome you with love."

Osnat Perry, chairman of Kibbutz Nir Oz: "The community of Kibbutz Nir Oz moved this morning from the Yisrotel Yam Suf hotel to the Carmei Gat neighborhood in Kiryat Gat. This may seem like the beginning of a routine, but for us, there will be no routine until the last of the abductees returns. All the abductees of Israel, among them the abductees of Kibbutz Nir Oz, need to return home now. We thank the municipality of Kiryat Gat for hosting us in our temporary home, and we thank all the hundreds of organizations, partners and volunteers who took part in the preparation for our arrival here. This is not a simple event for us, and thanks to the people of Israel, it is a little simpler."