From rehab to growth: The Gaza envelope's challenge
The Homeward Forum, representing fourteen Gaza envelope communities hit hard on October 7, 2023, is shifting from emergency rehabilitation to long-term economic growth. The forum has established a new economic corporation to promote projects including a hotel and sheltered housing, aiming to transition from a support economy to one that generates its own revenue. Leaders discuss the challenges of returning home, the need for correct resource allocation, and concerns about the Tkuma Directorate's mandate ending in 2029.
The Homeward Forum, representing fourteen Gaza envelope communities severely hit by the Hamas assault on October 7, 2023, is shifting from emergency rehabilitation to long-term economic growth. The forum, chaired by Ziv Mazliach of Kfar Aza, has established a new economic corporation called The Homeward Corporation to promote large projects. The first initiatives include constructing a hotel and a complex for sheltered housing and care for the aged. The economic idea is for regional councils to provide land and obtain permits, becoming partners alongside private developers and receiving dividends rather than just property tax. This aims to transition from a support economy to one that generates its own revenue. The forum's first year focused on housing evacuees, transport, compensation, and regulatory battles, including over 'desecrated homes' and the grant for returning home. A NIS 75 million plan was formulated for returning to 'red' settlements. The big question is what will happen on January 1, 2029, when the Tkuma Directorate's mandate ends. Leaders express that a sense of security has not returned, and the forum fears the government body providing services will disappear.