The evacuation of residents from the border areas of the Gazan Strip and the North of Israel since October 7, 2023, has created “a new spatial order.” Like Origami, Israel has become a country with a different social and spatial texture than that prior to the “folding.” The refiguring that occurred has far-reaching implications on the lives of persons evacuated as well as on the absorbing municipality and its inhabitants.
Despite the fact that most Israelis are aware of the relocations forced upon former inhabitants of the North and South, the mapping of the refiguring that has occurred as a result of evacuations is still only partial. Moreover, there is little awareness about secondary movements of these evacuees.
A new file obtained by the Adva Center from the Department of Demography and Census at the Israel Central Bureau of Statistics contributes to a partial understanding of the changes that have occurred. A study just published by Adva gives a taste of some of the insights one can derive from this kind of analysis.
Among others, the study reveals a salient difference in the pattern of the evacuations and the movement of the populations with regard to their locality of origin. The most extreme example of dispersion is Kiryat Shemona, which was formally evacuated on October 20, 2023, and whose residents relocated in more than 180 different localities throughout Israel, from Eilat in the very south of Israel, northwards.
In contrast, there is a model of concentrated and relatively organized evacuation, which characterizes small, collective localities, as well as localities that were hit hardest on October 7, 2023. Their evacuations were generally collective – with the exception of individuals who preferred or had no choice but to relocate somewhere else. We assume that the form of evacuation and relocation taken were connected to additional characteristics of the original locality – like their degree of solidarity and type of organization prior to the war. Sadly, a locality that evacuated in a dispersed way will probably find it difficult to preserve a feeling of belonging to the locality and the community, as well as to re-establish social relations in anticipation of a return.
At the end of April 2024, more than one percent of the population of Israel (117,500 persons) had experienced evacuation. The largest population change of localities that absorbed evacuees, in relation to their original population, was experienced by regional councils — which are aggregates of small localities and, as such, had fewer inhabitants to begin with than other local entities. At the same time, it can be seen that the population of cities was enhanced by a larger percentage than the population of the regional councils. Examining the data at two different points in time, one can see that evacuees continued to move from place to place.
The state of Israel needs to take responsibility for the evacuees, not only at their moment of evacuation but for the duration of the time of their displacement. The absence of a continuous and transparent mapping of the movement of Israel’s internal refugees and the manner of their absorption with regard to the social services they receive has an adverse effect on the ability of the local authorities – as well as that of the national government — to respond effectively to the needs of the evacuees. We recommend that the government conduct a regular and continuous mapping of population movements and of the responses to the evacuees provided by all types of local authorities.
