October 7 survivors still face hard questions: Go home or start over?

A new poll released today (Sunday) shows just under half of those evacuated from the hardest hit towns on October 7 are sure they want to return home, and many are deeply worried about their financial future.

A poll conducted by the Habyta or Homeward Bound Forum among residents of the 11 towns hardest hit by October 7 - Be'eri, Nir Oz, Nachal Oz, Kfar Azza, Re'im, Nirim, Sufa, Holit, Nir Yitzhak, Kissufim, and Netiv Ha'asarah - revealed communities still torn and scarred from the massacre, a year and a half later.

The poll, conducted among 585 residents of these towns, revealed just 24.3% have returned home, with the remaining residents still in temporary dwellings, hotels, or with family. Worse, just 45% of those who haven't come back say they will, 12.6% say they won't, and the rest are still not sure.

Things are not looking good in terms of employment, either: about 28% are unemployed, as compared to 10% before the war. About 45% of those not working are unemployed due to emotional and psychological struggles, about 20% had their business destroyed or were fired or furloughed, and 20% said family obligations prevented them from working.

70% say they feel higher economic anxiety than before October 7, and over a quarter say they intend to switch their line of work.