Israeli Border Mayor: Kids Living in Fear as Attacks Resume, Shelters Lacking

The mayor of a Western Galilee community along Israel's border with Lebanon says children are once again terrified as Hezbollah resumes missile attacks. Despite promises of security when evacuated residents returned home, 40% of the population still lacks access to proper bomb shelters.

Moshe Davidovich leads the Mateh Asher Regional Council in Israel’s Western Galilee, positioned directly along the Lebanese border. He paints a grim picture of daily life that has become frighteningly routine for his constituents: constant air raid sirens, ongoing uncertainty, and the mental burden of living under perpetual threat.

Davidovich spoke with The Media Line about the deteriorating conditions in his region. “The situation here in the north, in the conflict zone, is horrible,” he explained. “…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.”

Rather than progressing toward healing, northern Israeli communities are reverting to old survival patterns. The period after October 7 had gradually permitted a delicate return to normalcy. Educational institutions reopened their doors, commercial enterprises resumed operations, and households started reconstructing their everyday routines. This recovery process has now been disrupted.

“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 stated.

“It is not just about security in the physical sense. It is about the feeling that there is no real change,” he continued.

The regional leader characterized the present war phase as one marked by multiple threats operating at various levels while intersecting in residents’ daily experiences.

“This situation is very confusing for the residents,” he explained. “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.”

The consequences are evident in ordinary daily activities. Households that had recently returned to their communities are again structuring their schedules around warning sirens and shelter availability, continuously measuring how rapidly they can reach safety.

“We see it especially with the younger children,” Davidovich observed. “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.”

Among the most pressing deficiencies, he stressed, is insufficient civilian protection throughout substantial portions of the area.

“About 40% of our residents today do not have access to proper shelter,” Davidovich declared. “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 previous war stages, evacuation provided a temporary remedy for this vulnerability. Thousands of inhabitants were moved to more secure locations throughout Israel, frequently residing in hotels or temporary accommodations where immediate danger exposure was considerably diminished.

“In the previous period, people were spread across the country in protected areas,” he noted. “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.”

Davidovich reported that over 95% of Mateh Asher inhabitants have come back home. However, he warned that their return doesn’t necessarily indicate confidence in their safety.

“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.”

This question about whether genuine change has occurred surfaces repeatedly, he indicated, particularly among families still weighing whether to return home.

“If you want communities to function, to grow, to recover, you need to ensure that they are protected,” Davidovich emphasized. “Otherwise, you are asking people to live in a reality that is not sustainable.”

The dangers are tangible, not abstract, and influence everyday 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.”

Through discussions with government representatives, Davidovich reported increasing awareness that current protective measures fall short—but emphasized this recognition must translate into concrete 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.”

Nevertheless, he emphasized that time sensitivity remains the crucial factor.

“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.”

Psychological health, he added, has emerged as one of the most enduring challenges precisely due to the conflict’s accumulative nature.

“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, this sentiment connects to the war’s broader context, extending beyond border incidents.

“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.”

Yet for local residents, he noted, these larger geopolitical issues often seem remote compared to their immediate daily struggles.

Despite mounting pressure, Davidovich affirmed that area communities have no intention of abandoning their homes.

“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.”

For those living along Israel’s northern frontier, that future remains questionable—measured not in extended plans, but in the intervals between successive air raid warnings.