{"id":104857,"date":"2026-05-09T05:22:12","date_gmt":"2026-05-09T05:22:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/104857\/"},"modified":"2026-05-09T05:22:12","modified_gmt":"2026-05-09T05:22:12","slug":"pop-up-stop-for-soldiers-on-gaza-border-draws-volunteers-from-across-the-globe","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/104857\/","title":{"rendered":"Pop-up stop for soldiers on Gaza border draws volunteers from across the globe"},"content":{"rendered":"

It was cold and rainy on a recent evening at Shuva Junction, near the Gaza border.<\/p>\n

But inside a roadside stopping point, Shuva Achim (Shuva Brothers), all was warm and cozy.<\/p>\n

Reserve soldiers in their 40s sat on wooden benches sipping hot soup, while conscripts dug into plates of steaming goulash.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is real home cooking,\u201d said one. \u201cIt\u2019s like being at home.\u201d<\/p>\n

In a corner, a soldier played guitar while a volunteer from Germany sang along.<\/p>\n

\n\t\t\tGet The Times of Israel’s Daily Edition
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Nearby, retired physiotherapist Yevgenia Menschikovsky doled out food. A resident of Netivot originally from Kazakhstan, she and her husband, Boris, have become regulars here.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy husband peels and cuts, and I cook,\u201d she explained, gesturing to her spread of rice, quiche and potatoes.<\/p>\n

\t\"\"<\/a>
\n\t\tIDF conscripts queueing for a hot dinner at Shuva Achim in southern Israel, January 13, 2026. (Sue Surkes\/Times of Israel)<\/p>\n

While the nation\u2019s attention focuses on the possibility of missiles from Iran and Lebanon, soldiers are still moving in and out of Gaza.<\/p>\n

Before they enter and just after they leave, Shuva Achim awaits them. Its guiding spirit, Dror Trabelsi, 31, calls the gathering spot a \u201cTent of Abraham,\u201d where everyone is welcome.<\/p>\n

Trabelsi is a whirlwind of energy, frequently breaking off a conversation to hug a soldier or solve a logistical problem. Whether a soldier needs Teflon plumber\u2019s tape or has to organize a quiet place for commanders to sleep, Trabelsi finds the solution.<\/p>\n

\u201cShuva Achim was never about the tables and food,\u201d he said, \u201cbut about people who can help you now, with zero bureaucracy.\u201d<\/p>\n

Part of the wooden roadside stop has a special section for clothing, underwear, hygiene items, and more \u2014 all provided free to soldiers.<\/p>\n

\t\"\"<\/a>
\n\t\tThe equipment shelves at Shuva Achim, Shuva Junction, southern Israel, January 13, 2026. (Sue Surkes\/Times of Israel)<\/p>\n

Born from chaos<\/p>\n

Just eight minutes from the Gaza border and a minute from Route 232, Shuva Junction was largely commandeered by Hamas on October 7, 2023. After IDF forces neutralized the terrorists who attacked rescue vehicles that morning, the army designated the junction as a safe point for a field hospital.<\/p>\n

The initiative began that very day with a single picnic table set up by Dror\u2019s brother, Koby. Since then, the entire Trabelsi family has become involved.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe army initially called up hundreds of thousands of soldiers who thought they wouldn\u2019t be there for long,\u201d Trabelsi recalled. \u201cWhen Hamas broke into bases and stole communications systems, it hampered logistics.\u201d<\/p>\n

\t\"\"<\/a>
\n\t\tLeft: Emergency first aid equipment at Shuva Junction, near the Gaza border, on October 7. 2023, and right: the camping table erected by Koby Trabelsi and his friends on that day, which has since mushroomed into Shuva Achim. (Courtesy, Shuva Achim)<\/p>\n

As the only civilian outfit in the war zone for weeks, Shuva Achim immediately began feeding up to 1,500 soldiers daily, providing moral support and a place to decompress. Since its inception, the center has served over 1.5 million meals to an estimated 150,000 soldiers.<\/p>\n

A family affair<\/p>\n

Trabelsi is one of six brothers from the religious Moshav Shuva, founded in 1950 by Libyan immigrants. Their mother, Suzie, provided the first giant pots of couscous, and their father, Roni, who owns a flower shop in nearby Netivot, provides bouquets for Friday night tables \u2014 and sometimes some surprise blooms for a soldier heading home to his wife.<\/p>\n

\t\"\"<\/a>
\n\t\tThe Trabelsi family. From right: Dror, Yuval, Koby, Roni, Suzie, Eliran, and Avichai. (Courtesy)<\/p>\n

With the exception of Yuval, who served as an officer on reserve duty for much of the war, each brother has a role: Eliran manages suppliers; Koby handles construction and logistics; Avichai and Ariel have volunteered extensively. The brothers\u2019 unofficial \u201csister,\u201d Oshrat, spent the first 18 months of the conflict in Shuva Achim\u2019s kitchen.<\/p>\n

Plus, an army of volunteers<\/p>\n

The center\u2019s round-the-clock operation depends on a diverse human tapestry. One can find religious West Bank settlers volunteering alongside secular high-tech workers from Tel Aviv.<\/p>\n

\t\"\"<\/a>
\n\t\tYevgenia Menschikovsky from Netivot volunteers to cook three times a week for soldiers visiting Shuva Achim in southern Israel, January 13, 2026. (Sue Surkes\/Times of Israel)<\/p>\n

Yevgenia Menschikovsky vowed to cook for soldiers every day until her grandson, who was in Gaza on October 7, was released from his army service. He is now home, but she continues to cook three times a week using her own money and donations.<\/p>\n

Ilana Katz, a single mother originally from Ukraine, brings her 10-year-old daughter to teach her \u201cunconditional love.\u201d<\/p>\n

\t\"\"<\/a>
\n\t\tIlana Katz and Boris Menschikovsky, volunteers at Shuva Achim in southern Israel, January 13, 2026. (Sue Surkes\/Times of Israel)<\/p>\n

Christians from Holland have come to cook fries, and a Bedouin couple from Rahat helped clean the facility to kosher standards for Passover last year.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are the most unorganized organization in the world,\u201d Trabelsi quipped. \u201cNobody ever tells me when they\u2019re coming. Only Hashem knows,\u201d he said, using a euphemism for God.<\/p>\n

Healing broken hearts<\/p>\n

While built for soldiers, the junction has become a sanctuary for others, too. It has become part of the itinerary for many Israeli and overseas tourists visiting locations struck on October 7, as well as a welcoming spot for bereaved parents on the way to the Nova site<\/a>, where hundreds of partygoers were massacred.<\/p>\n

Raaya and Hila Rotem<\/a>, who were taken hostage from Kibbutz Be\u2019eri on October 7, came by one day. Not knowing who they were, Trabelsi welcomed them with Shuva Achim\u2019s signature fishball buns. Both women have since returned to volunteer.<\/p>\n

The emotional weight of the site is heavy.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe soldiers have seen terrible things and sometimes open up to us,\u201d said one anonymous volunteer. \u201cThere are lots of broken hearts.\u201d<\/p>\n

\t\"\"<\/a>
\n\t\tDror Trabelsi talks about Shuva Achim to a group from the US, November 5, 2025. (Courtesy, Shuva Achim)<\/p>\n

Operating Shuva Achim initially cost $4,000 per day, a figure that has since settled to roughly $50,000 per month. While the family began by spending their own savings, a fundraising campaign on IsraelGives<\/a> has raised nearly $1 million toward a $1.5 million goal.<\/p>\n

Trabelsi has no plans to stop. He dreams of a permanent facility and branches across Israel for any soldier \u201cwho wakes up sweating at night.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is my life now,\u201d he said. \u201cTour guides can talk about Am Yisrael [the People of Israel], but nobody will really understand until they come here. When they leave Shuva, the only thing that will come out of their mouths is \u2018Am Yisrael Hai\u2019 \u2014 the People of Israel live.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"It was cold and rainy on a recent evening at Shuva Junction, near the Gaza border. But inside…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":104858,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[33],"tags":[36330,36329,34060,36327,2378,37,36328,2744],"class_list":{"0":"post-104857","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-israel","8":"tag-crowdfunding","9":"tag-egypt-ngos","10":"tag-gaza-border-rehabilitation","11":"tag-idf-reserve-soldiers","12":"tag-idf-soldiers","13":"tag-israel","14":"tag-ngos-in-israel","15":"tag-reservists"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@iran\/116542947422625768","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/104857","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=104857"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/104857\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/104858"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=104857"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=104857"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=104857"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}