Israeli celebrity chef Eyal Shani recently announced he will be opening his newest restaurant inside a luxury hotel that is set to be built in Kibbutz Nir Am, near the border with the Gaza Strip.

The restaurant will be established and operated by Shani in cooperation with The Better Guys restaurant group and is expected to be open to the public along with hotel guests.

Reportedly, the 55-room hotel will be operated by the Fundamental hospitality group. At least $22 million will be invested in the project.

Nir Am was one of the few communities bordering Gaza that managed to stave off Hamas terrorists on October 7, 2023. The kibbutz’s armed emergency squad, led by Inbal Rabin Lieberman, kept the terrorists from entering the community for hours before IDF forces arrived.

The planned hotel, set to be opened by 2028, is expected to bring tourists to the area of the Western Negev, which lacks lodging options, and to boost the local economy, severely damaged by the latest war.

Nir Am representatives have apparently already signed a memorandum of understanding with Israeli and American investors to establish the hotel.

Roi Ben Yehud, Kibbutz Nir Am’s business director, said he hopes “the hotel will attract not only Israeli tourists but also international visitors.”