JERUSALEM (VINnews) — More than two and a half years have passed since October 7. Since that morning, when entire communities near the Gaza border lost family members, friends, and homes, public discourse has often focused on trauma, loss, and the need for recovery. However, a new study conducted in the Eshkol Regional Council reveals another side of the story, one that speaks not only of suffering, but also of extraordinary resilience.

The data, collected from 374 residents aged 65 and older as part of the “Yeshutenu” (“Our Being”) initiative run by the organization Shitufim, points to a generation that has chosen to remain actively engaged. Rather than withdrawing from public life, many continue to work, volunteer, and contribute to a community that is itself still recovering.

According to the study, 40% of senior residents in the Eshkol (Gaza envelope) region worked for pay during the past year, nearly double the national average in Israel. The most striking figure was among those aged 75 and older, where one in four continued working during the past year.

For many, work is about much more than earning a living. Ninety-one percent of working seniors said that their jobs provide them with a strong sense of purpose. Some continue working in agriculture, others in tourism, services, education, and training, fields that have been integral to the fabric of the Gaza border communities for decades.

Volunteering is another area where the findings stand out. Forty-five percent of seniors in Eshkol volunteer regularly, a rate three times higher than the national average. More than half of them volunteer at least once a week.

These figures take on special significance considering what the region has endured. The Eshkol Regional Council was among the areas hardest hit during the Hamas attack. Many older residents lost relatives and friends, some experienced the kidnapping of family members, and nearly all were forced to leave their homes for extended periods.

Yet despite the grief and loss, the study portrays a population determined to remain active participants in rebuilding community life. For example:

• 22% of seniors who are not currently employed said they would like to work if suitable opportunities were available.
• 48% of seniors who do not currently volunteer said they would be interested in volunteering if appropriate opportunities were offered.

At the same time, the study does not ignore the difficulties. Forty-three percent of respondents reported reducing their activities since October 7, with men showing a particularly significant decline in social involvement and their sense of community resilience.

“The study seeks to change the way we view the older residents of the Gaza border region,” said Michal Inbal Jacobson, director of the Yeshutenu initiative for quality of life in old age.

“Alongside the challenges and needs, there is a population here with strengths, life experience, and a deep desire to remain active, contribute, and make an impact. The rehabilitation of the Gaza border region cannot focus only on treatment, it must also include opportunities for meaning, community, and action.”

The Eshkol Regional Council is already working to translate these insights into practical programs. Together with the Yeshutenu initiative, it is advancing efforts to expand employment opportunities for older adults, encourage entrepreneurship, train professionals, and develop new retirement-preparation models based not only on ending a career but also on continued involvement, activity, and belonging.

“When people ask us what the secret of Eshkol’s strength is, our answer is clear—our seniors,” said Eshkol regional head Michal Uziyahu.

“This is the founding generation. Even after the massacre, the loss, and the prolonged evacuation, they were among the first to return home, reopen community frameworks, and bring life back to this place. They are not merely a population that needs support. They are a central part of our resilience and our ability to grow again.”

Ultimately, this may be the central message of the entire study. More than two and a half years after the darkest day in the history of the Gaza border communities, many older residents still carry deep scars. But alongside the memories and pain, they continue doing what they have done all their lives: getting up in the morning, working, volunteering, and remaining part of the community they built with their own hands.