Western Galilee Mayor Tells TML: ‘Children Are Living in Fear Again’ as 40% of Residents Lack Access to Shelters After returning home from prolonged evacuations, communities along Israel’s northern border face renewed attacks, limited protection, and growing psychological strain as the war continues By Gabriel Colodro / The Media Line Moshe Davidovich, head of the Mateh Asher Regional Council situated along Israel’s northwestern border with Lebanon in the Western Galilee, describes a reality that he says has become all too familiar for residents of the region: a return to daily alarms, persistent uncertainty, and the psychological toll of living under constant threat. “The situation here in the north, in the conflict zone, is horrible,” Davidovich told The Media Line. “ …during the war, most of our residents were evacuated by the government for more than a year. When they came back to their homes, they were promised that this area would be secure, without threat. But now we see Hezbollah, which is the long arm of Iran, launching missiles again against our residents. This situation brings everything back—the nightmare and the fear that we have lived with over the last two years.” Instead of moving further into recovery, communities in the north now find themselves slipping back into a familiar pattern. The months that followed October 7 had slowly allowed for a fragile return to routine. Schools reopened, businesses resumed activity, and families began rebuilding a sense of normal life. That process has now been interrupted. “When you see our area now with alarms every day, a few times a day, when children are once again living in fear, it means that the threat that was supposed to disappear is still here,” Davidovich said. “It is not just about security in the physical sense. It is about the feeling that there is no real change,” he added. Davidovich described the current phase of the war as one defined by overlapping threats that operate on different levels but converge in daily life. “This situation is very confusing for the residents,” he said. “On one hand, you have the big missiles coming from Iran, which create a national-level sense of danger. On the other hand, you have the drones and the attacks from Hezbollah, which are immediate and close,” he […]
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The Media Line: Western Galilee Mayor Tells TML: ‘Children Are Living in Fear Again’ as 40% of Residents Lack Access to Shelters
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Western Galilee Mayor Tells TML: ‘Children Are Living in Fear Again’ as 40% of Residents Lack Access to Shelters
After returning home from prolonged evacuations, communities along Israel’s northern border face renewed attacks, limited protection, and growing psychological strain as the war continues
By Gabriel Colodro / The Media Line
Moshe Davidovich, head of the Mateh Asher Regional Council situated along Israel’s northwestern border with Lebanon in the Western Galilee, describes a reality that he says has become all too familiar for residents of the region: a return to daily alarms, persistent uncertainty, and the psychological toll of living under constant threat.
“The situation here in the north, in the conflict zone, is horrible,” Davidovich told The Media Line. “ …during the war, most of our residents were evacuated by the government for more than a year. When they came back to their homes, they were promised that this area would be secure, without threat. But now we see Hezbollah, which is the long arm of Iran, launching missiles again against our residents. This situation brings everything back—the nightmare and the fear that we have lived with over the last two years.”
Instead of moving further into recovery, communities in the north now find themselves slipping back into a familiar pattern. The months that followed October 7 had slowly allowed for a fragile return to routine. Schools reopened, businesses resumed activity, and families began rebuilding a sense of normal life. That process has now been interrupted.
“When you see our area now with alarms every day, a few times a day, when children are once again living in fear, it means that the threat that was supposed to disappear is still here,” Davidovich said.
“It is not just about security in the physical sense. It is about the feeling that there is no real change,” he added.
Davidovich described the current phase of the war as one defined by overlapping threats that operate on different levels but converge in daily life.
“This situation is very confusing for the residents,” he said. “On one hand, you have the big missiles coming from Iran, which create a national-level sense of danger. On the other hand, you have the drones and the attacks from Hezbollah, which are immediate and close,” he noted.
The impact is visible in everyday routines. Families who had only recently returned home are once again organizing their lives around sirens and access to shelters, constantly calculating how quickly they can reach a protected space.
“We see it especially with the younger children,” Davidovich said. “They are reacting again to the alarms, to the uncertainty, to the fear. This was supposed to be behind us, but it’s not. And when you understand that, you realize this is not something temporary.”
One of the most critical gaps, he emphasized, is the lack of adequate civilian protection across large parts of the region.
“About 40% of our residents today do not have access to proper shelter,” Davidovich asserted. “This is a very serious issue. There are families who, when there is an alarm, simply do not have a safe place to go. This is something that should have been solved a long time ago.”
During earlier phases of the war, evacuation served as a temporary solution to that vulnerability. Thousands of residents were relocated to safer areas across Israel, often staying in hotels or temporary housing where exposure to immediate threats was significantly reduced.
“In the previous period, people were spread across the country in protected areas,” he said. “Now they are back in their homes, but the level of protection has not changed accordingly. That creates a very difficult situation. People want to live in their communities, but they also need to feel that they are safe,” he added.
According to Davidovich, more than 95% of Mateh Asher residents have returned home. But he cautioned that their return does not necessarily reflect confidence.
“In places like Kiryat Shmona or Metula, you see a different picture,” he said. “Only about half of the population has returned. One of the main reasons is the lack of security. People are asking themselves whether anything has fundamentally changed—and for many, the answer is still unclear.”
That question—whether anything has really changed—comes up constantly, he indicated, especially among families who are still deciding whether to return.
“If you want communities to function, to grow, to recover, you need to ensure that they are protected,” Davidovich said. “Otherwise, you are asking people to live in a reality that is not sustainable,” he noted.
On the ground, the threats are not theoretical. They shape daily behavior. “There are two main threats that we are dealing with right now,” he said. “One is the drones that Hezbollah sends several times a day. These are difficult to detect and can reach communities quickly. The other is the anti-tank missiles, direct-fire weapons that can hit villages very close to the border.”
In conversations with government officials, Davidovich said there is growing recognition that current measures are insufficient—but that this acknowledgment must be followed by action.
“We are in constant contact with the government,” he said. “There is an understanding that more needs to be done. We have been promised additional support, including for infrastructure and for mental health services, which are critically important at this stage,” he emphasized.
Still, he stressed that urgency remains the key issue.
“These are not long-term issues that can wait,” he said. “We are talking about immediate needs that are directly connected to saving lives. When people do not have shelters, when families are dealing with ongoing trauma, these are things that require immediate solutions.”
Mental health, he added, has become one of the most persistent challenges precisely because of the cumulative nature of the conflict.
“This builds over time,” Davidovich said. “It is not just one event. It is everything together. And what people feel now is that instead of moving forward, they are being pulled back into the same reality.”
For Davidovich, that feeling is also tied to the bigger picture of the war, not just what is happening along the border.
“It is clear to everyone that Hezbollah is the long arm of Iran,” he said. “If you want to change the situation in the north, you need to address that connection.”
But for residents, he added, those broader questions often feel distant compared to what they are dealing with every day.
Despite the pressure, Davidovich said the communities in the area are not planning to leave.
“We are strong, and we are committed to our communities,” he said. “But strength alone is not enough. People need to feel that there is a future,” he concluded.
For residents of Israel’s northern border, that future remains uncertain—measured not in long-term plans, but in the time between one siren and the next.