"In the Tekuma region there are 5,000 more residents than before the massacre. We will double the population by 2033"
Deputy head of the Tekuma Administration, Aviel Pansaporcar, gives his first interview to Calcalist about the rehabilitation process in the Gaza envelope, demographic expansion plans, and the budgetary and mental health challenges remaining three years after the October 7 attack. The administration is expected to close at the end of 2028, and will soon begin preparing a follow-up government plan.
In his first interview with Calcalist, Aviel Pansaporcar (39), deputy head of the Tekuma Administration, provides a comprehensive picture of the rehabilitation of the Gaza envelope three years after the October 7 massacre. According to him, the Tekuma region now has 5,000 more residents than before the massacre, with a target to double the population by 2033. The administration, whose original budget was 19 billion shekels and was cut to 17.2 billion, is expected to close at the end of 2028. By the end of 2025, 11.6 billion shekels (about 67%) had been utilized. Pansaporcar describes that 2,600 buildings were damaged in the envelope, of which 525 were defined as red and slated for demolition and rebuilding. The cost of rehabilitating the buildings stands at 1.5 billion shekels, with Be'eri receiving 473 million shekels, Nir Oz 232 million, and Kfar Aza 211 million. Six of the ten hardest-hit communities have completed the return with over 90% of residents. In the remaining four (Be'eri, Kfar Aza, Holit, Nir Oz), the return is expected to be completed by July 2027, except for Nir Oz, which will complete the return by the end of the 2028 school year. Pansaporcar emphasizes that the return process is gradual and tailored to trauma, and that the administration is also investing in mental health, education, culture, and sports. He also addresses the challenge of residents who cannot return, noting that an inter-ministerial team headed by the Prime Minister's Office has been established to examine the response for them, while stressing that funding should not come from the Tekuma budget.