Dean Sweetland looks over a desolate street in Kibbutz Malkiya, an Israeli community situated on a hill by the Lebanon border. The town, which was deserted a year ago, remains largely abandoned. The daycare is closed, homes are in disrepair, and parts of the land are scorched from fires caused by Hezbollah rocket attacks. Despite a fragile ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah intended to allow Israelis to return to the north, the mood remains far from positive.

Sweetland, a gardener and civilian security member of the kibbutz, dismisses the ceasefire as ineffective. He doubts it will bring people back to their homes, questioning, "Do you expect me to ring around my friends and say, All the families should come home?' No."

While Lebanese civilians are eagerly returning to the south, many northern Israeli residents remain skeptical and fearful of Hezbollah's return. Sweetland raises concerns about the lack of protection if Hezbollah returns.

Israel's government is working to revive the northern communities near Lebanon, especially those involved in securing the border. However, lingering fears of Hezbollah, distrust in the United Nations peacekeeping forces, anger at the government, and some Israelis' preference for rebuilding elsewhere have slowed the return.

Many residents of northern Israel had evacuated when Hezbollah began firing rockets on October 8, 2023. Despite the ceasefire, Hezbollah's presence in southern Lebanon remains a concern, and there are doubts about the ability of the UN peacekeeping force (UNIFIL) and the Lebanese army to prevent Hezbollah from returning.

Sarah Gould, who evacuated Kibbutz Malkiya with her children, remains unconvinced by the government's claims that Hezbollah has been neutralized. She recalls rockets hitting the community even after the ceasefire took effect. Some Israeli critics argue that the government should have pursued a more aggressive strategy to eliminate Hezbollah's influence in the area.

While a few Israelis have returned to areas further from the border, towns like Kibbutz Manara, situated between Lebanon and Syria, remain deserted. The community was heavily damaged, with fires, rocket attacks, and anti-tank shrapnel wreaking havoc on homes and infrastructure. Orna Weinberg, a Manara resident, expresses doubt that the ceasefire will offer lasting protection, given that Hezbollah's presence was not previously curbed by UNIFIL.

In areas where the truce holds, there is still a palpable sense of unease. Residents of Kibbutz Malkiya, while cautiously returning, hesitate to commit to staying, given the ongoing risks and the emotional toll of rebuilding their lives in a new location. Many had already found new homes during their displacement, and the thought of returning to a border town is daunting.

Some, like Gould, predict that the return to their homes will only occur when government subsidies for temporary accommodations run out, not because they feel safe. Additionally, the loss of trust in the government and the sense of abandonment felt by many in the region contribute to the reluctance to return. Sweetland, one of the few security volunteers who stayed through the war, continues to look out for the community, but he expects it will take months before people feel safe enough to come back.

Weinberg remains hopeful about returning to Manara but understands that many residents, like the former neighbor she encountered, are still uncertain about the future.

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