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Before October 7, the community, mostly agricultural cooperative settlements commonly known as kibbutzim near the Gaza Strip, was one of Israel’s most beautiful locations, characterized by green fields and carpets of bright red anemones. It was considered part of But they were also the most bombed areas of the country. “Ninety-nine percent of the time it’s paradise, but one percent of the time it’s hell,” was a common refrain among residents.
“It is no exaggeration to say that we are living in that 1% this year,” admits Ofer Liberman, reflecting on the harsh reality facing his community. For 22 years, he has been the spokesperson for Kibbutz Nir Am, which is surrounded by the Gaza Strip.
On October 7, it was Inbal, Liberman’s daughter and community security coordinator, who showed remarkable courage. She opened weapons storage lockers and distributed weapons to community rapid response teams, who sent them to various locations along the kibbutz fence. She and her team conducted hand-to-hand combat with Hamas terrorists. Her quick action prevented them from entering the kibbutz and prevented a similar massacre from occurring in neighboring communities.
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The ruins of a burnt-out residential building in Kibbutz Kisfim after October 7, 2023 | A school sign in Kibbutz Gubrot nearly a year after the terrorist attack | Anemone field in Kibbutz Nahal Oz. (Efrat Rahter)
On Wednesday, Rosh Hashana, the Jewish New Year, Liberman returned to Kibbutz Nir Am to celebrate with his family. “My wife and I were the only ones who came back in mid-November. The kibbutz was under complete military control. I run a farm in Nir Am and had to be here. By the end of March, a small number of families had returned, and by August 15, when government aid ended, all but 12 families had returned, he said. Ta.
“This was a sad holiday. Some of our friends still have family and friends detained in Gaza. In the morning, we received word from the IDF that there would be a lot of noise from the fighting in Gaza. ,” Liberman said, explaining the ongoing tensions. region. “People remembered the explosions and gunshots of October 7th and became anxious. But we manage to go about our daily lives. People go to work, children go to school, amidst the sounds of war. I live my life completely.”
Photo showing a destroyed house riddled with bullets after the deadly October 7 attack by Hamas terrorists in the Gaza Strip in Kibbutz Kfar Aza, southern Israel, November 2, 2023. (Reuters/Evelyn Hochstein/ Material photo)
Since October 7, 15,000 people from 21 kibbutzim in southern Israel have been evacuated, first to hotels and then to temporary housing across the country. Remarkably, about 70% have returned home, due to the ongoing war in Gaza and the attacks that have claimed the lives of about 1,200 people (319 of them kibbutz members) and destroyed hundreds of homes. This is an important achievement considering the devastating impact.
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However, six of the worst-affected communities have yet to return. At Kibbutz Beli, 98 men, women and children were killed and 30 were kidnapped. In Kfar Aza, a town of 700 people, 64 people, including women and children, were massacred and 19 were taken hostage. Fifteen people were killed and eight were kidnapped in Nahal Oz, a small community of 450 people.
Remains of the motorcycle of a terrorist who tried to infiltrate Kibbutz Nir-AM. The terrorist was shot dead by the kibbutz’s rapid response team. (Eden Lieberman)
“Although only 20 members of Kibbutz Nahal Oz have returned to their kibbutz, 80% of our community, 330 residents, are in Mishmal Haemek, a kibbutz in north-central Israel. They have been hosting us since October 8,” Amir Tibon, a resident of Nahal Oz, told Fox News Digital. “Being together as a community in this temporary housing means so much because we are surrounded by our loved ones. Our children still go to school and kindergarten together, which is a huge That’s the difference.”
On October 13, 2023, the remains of an arsoned vehicle are searched for forensic evidence at the scene of the October 7 attack on the Supernova Desert Music Festival by Palestinian terrorists near Kibbutz Reim in the Negev desert in southern Israel. Israeli soldiers searching. The rave event drew thousands of partygoers to a desert area near Kibbutz Rayim, less than three miles from the Gaza Strip, on October 6. But it turned into a horror show early the next day when Hamas militants crossed the border on motorcycles, vans, speedboats and paramotors and launched a surprise attack on Israel. ((Photo by JACK GUEZ/AFP via Getty Images))
On October 7, Tibon and his wife, Miri, were rescued along with their two young daughters thanks to their mother, Gali, and their father, Noam Tibon, a retired IDF major general, who drove from Tel Aviv to the kibbutz to rescue them. It was done. Along the way, they rescued survivors of the music festival massacre and helped wounded Israeli soldiers. Hours after leaving their home in Tel Aviv, Amir’s father fought Hamas terrorists in Nahal Oz and saved his family. Tibon has since chronicled his experiences in a new book, Gaza Gate: A Story of Betrayal, Survival, and Hope on the Israeli Border, in which he intertwines his personal story with the history of the kibbutz.
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“The kibbutz’s important role in Israel’s history – in creating and defending Israel’s borders – remains important. This way of life, which emphasizes community and togetherness, is more important than ever.” That’s what Tivon believes.
“A kibbutz can be understood as a microcosm of collective life, where community, equality and collective labor play important roles in the daily lives of its members,” said Ayelet Harris, director of communities for the kibbutz movement, about leadership dynamics. spoke. In these communities.
Monument at the site of the October 7 Hamas terrorist attack on the Supernova music festival near Kibbutz Rem, Israel, Monday, May 27, 2024. (Kobi Wolf/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
“The institutional structure of the kibbutz was critical to the recovery process. I saw women and men leading the kibbutz and prioritizing the mission of return even in times of uncertainty. They decided to focus on the mission of returning while working through their emotional state.” Being part of the team planning the return gave people less influence over their future plans. It fosters a deeper sense of belonging compared to other places where you don’t feel powerful. ”
Tibon reflected on the complexities surrounding his decision to return home. “This is a conversation we have every day. The issue is the reassurance that the government and the Israel Defense Forces must provide and overcome the psychological barriers of returning to places where such horrors occurred. .”
There is a field of sea anemones in Kibbutz Nahal Oz. (Photo: Efrat Rahter)
The ongoing trauma is compounded by the anxiety of friends and family members held captive by Hamas. “Thanks to a deal orchestrated by President Biden, we got five hostages back alive in November, but two of our friends, Omri and Zaci, are still in enemy hands,” Tibon explained. . “For me, returning to a kibbutz means living in a house where a neighbor was murdered in the house in front of me and another neighbor in the house in the back. This is where I raised my daughters. I believe I can.” I can do that, but I don’t know if I will be able to walk past these two friends’ houses and find out that they were left to die in the tunnels of Gaza. I don’t know. ”
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A new memorial to the Observer soldiers killed on October 7 during an attack on the Nahal Oz base near Nahal Oz, Israel, on October 4, 2024, with the rock of slain soldier Roni Eshel. A girl and her father pass in front of the photo. On the morning of October 7, Hamas terrorists attacked the Nahal Oz base, killing 66 soldiers, including 15 female soldiers who were operating surveillance cameras. Some of the female soldiers who were not killed were taken hostage on October 7, 2023. (Alexi J. Rosenfeld/Getty Images)
As I walked through Kibbutz Guvrot last week, I was struck by the contrast between the children’s laughter and the reality of their lives. Children happily played soccer on the grass, oblivious to the shadows cast by shelters placed every few meters and decorated with pictures of their favorite cartoon characters. The community school in the center of the kibbutz is an improvised version of a building that existed before October 7th.
“After the attack, we found ourselves in a hotel in Eilat, where most of the traumatized communities of the south were located,” recalls Lior Dufner, chairman of Kibbutz Guvrot. “Every day we received news that more of our acquaintances were being kidnapped or killed. It’s a truly incomprehensible situation.” Kibbutz Gubrot was one of the few places not attacked during the October 7 massacre. One of the.
The sign at the kibbutz’s Gubrot school reads, “Welcome to Sedot Escor School.” School resumed last month. (Efrat Rahter)
“We are seeing people slowly slip into a sense of helplessness. There is no framework for children. We need to take our stand and think about where to go next. We wanted to make sure that children and staff started the year on September 1st, in the same classroom, with the same child. Our group ends on June 30th. They all have gone through different experiences, losing friends and teachers, and now they are in a safe and stable environment. School gives us hope. “This gives us hope for the future,” Dufner said.
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Across communities back home, there is a growing call for resilience despite the challenges. “I think we needed to come back here and protect this place. We need to protect our country,” Liberman said. “You could see the synagogue surrounded and guarded by police.” We Jews are not welcome anywhere in the world because they are afraid. Therefore, we have no choice but to remain in our state after the fighting in the south and north ends. Once the hostages return home, we can return to our 99% life in paradise. ”
