Despite fears of a possible war in the Middle East, Russian emigrants in Israel say they are unlikely to leave the country.

As Israel marks the first anniversary of a deadly Hamas attack on October 7 amid fears of a wider war in the Middle East, Russians who fled to Israel after the invasion of Ukraine told The Moscow Times they have no interest in returning home.

The October 7 anniversary comes as Israel remains deeply involved in bloody fighting in the Gaza Strip, escalates hostilities with Hamas's ally Hezbollah in Lebanon, and faces the looming threat of a wider conflict involving Tehran.

However, despite the escalation, some Russian expatriates said the political situation in Russia poses a far greater danger to them than the violence currently unfolding in the Middle East.

“Right now, we’re not even considering the possibility of returning [to Russia],” Anna, who moved to Israel with her husband to avoid the Kremlin’s mobilization in the fall of 2022, told The Moscow Times.

"There are risks everywhere, but in Russia it's especially dangerous, given our political position," Anna said. "We loved Moscow. We had a wonderful life until 2022, and leaving was heartbreaking. But for us, it's simply not safe to return."

Some 65,000 Russians moved to Israel in 2022 under the repatriation program, which allows people of Jewish descent to obtain citizenship, making the country one of the most popular destinations for wartime emigrants.

Like Anna, many Russians in Israel said that while the current situation in the Middle East is far from stable, it seems less threatening than the political situation in Russia.

Their names have been changed for security reasons, as The Moscow Times has been declared an "undesirable" organization in Russia.

"It's hard to explain to people who don't live here, but the rocket attacks don't feel the same as in other countries. Most people here don't really worry about it," said 27-year-old Denis, who moved to Israel from Russia for political reasons.

Another woman who moved to Israel with her family said she felt a surge of patriotism during and after the Hamas attack, which sparked widespread solidarity among Israelis.

"The feeling inside Israel doesn't inspire panic or a desire to flee. On the contrary, there's a feeling of, 'I want to stay here, I want to live here, and I want to help the country in any way I can,'" 42-year-old Valentina told The Moscow Times, referring to the deadly Hamas attack on October 7.

The attack, which saw thousands of rockets fired at Israeli border settlements and the capture of nearly 50 different sites, including the massacre of festivalgoers, left 1,205 people dead, according to official Israeli figures. Some 251 people were captured and taken hostage to the Gaza Strip in 2023, of whom 97 remain held captive in the coastal area, including 34 whom the Israeli military claims are dead.

The October 7 attack was the worst in the country's history and sparked a devastating war in the Gaza Strip last year that has since spread to Lebanon.

Since last month, Israel has launched massive strikes against Hezbollah strongholds across Lebanon and launched ground operations across the border. The war has claimed the lives of more than 1,110 people in Lebanon and forced more than a million to flee their homes.

In the south, Israel's campaign in Gaza in response to the October 7 attack is far from over. Israel's military offensive on Gaza has reduced swathes of territory to rubble and, at least once, forced nearly all 2.4 million residents to flee their homes amid an ongoing humanitarian crisis.

According to the Health Ministry in Hamas-controlled Gaza, 41,909 people, most of them civilians, have died in the territory since the war began. The United Nations has deemed these figures credible.

Fighting in the Gaza Strip and Lebanon is accompanied by the threat of war with Iran, increasing fears of a full-scale regional conflict.

Despite the threat, some Russians who have moved to Israel told The Moscow Times that they trust the Israeli army to protect their citizens.

Others said they were more concerned about the threat of knife attacks or shootings that regularly occur in some parts of Israel.

Anna recalled the recent suspected terrorist attack in Tel Aviv, which took place near the area she and her family frequently visit.

"There's no way to protect yourself from this kind of violence," she said. "You can only hope you're not in the wrong place at the wrong time."

Some have compared the danger of war in Israel to military action in Russia, particularly Ukraine's August 6 invasion of Russia's Kursk region, which continues to this day.

"It feels like the [Russian] government has abandoned its citizens. I'm truly amazed at how many people in Moscow don't know what's going on in Kursk, Belgorod, or other places," Valentina said, referring to the Russian regions bordering Ukraine that have been regularly subjected to cross-border attacks since the start of Russia's invasion.

"In Israel, this is simply impossible – no one can ignore what is happening in the areas of the country that have been attacked," she said.

Some Russians in Israel told The Moscow Times that while they disagree with the government's Gaza policy, express concern about the escalation of the conflict in the region, and are considering moving from Israel to another country, they are not ready to reconsider the idea of returning to Russia.

"Returning to Russia? That seems crazy to me," Denis said. "Even without the ideological issues, it simply doesn't make sense."