STAYING TOGETHER
A COMMUNITY FROM NIR OZ
The Home We Lost - Amit's Testimonial
In the early morning of Simchat Torah, October 7th, approximately 150 heavily armed Hamas terrorists brutally attacked Nir Oz, a small kibbutz near the Gaza border, while the kibbutz was still asleep. There were no warnings and no military assistance. The people of Nir Oz hid in their shelters for hours, while those of us who could, fought the terrorists with the scarce weapons we had.
The battle was long and horrific. Houses were set on fire by Hamas in order to force the residents out or burn them alive.
On that awful day Nir Oz faced an extraordinary and uniquely distressing situation—it stands as the only community where the Defense Forces failed to arrive at all during the massacre.
At Nir-Oz a staggering one in four individuals was either kidnapped or killed.
At present, our community is adapting to temporary housing in apartment buildings situated in the city of Kiryat Gat, all the while grieving the loss of our loved ones and striving to secure the release of those still held captive by Hamas.
Understanding the importance of preserving our unity, the community is compelled to allocate time and energy to proactively plan and execute our transition back to a rural setting. This transition is crucial for sustaining our way of life and aiding in our rehabilitation.
While our community yearns to return to the familiar grounds of our beloved kibbutz and resist Hamas’ attempts to uproot us, a group of us representing a majority of the community’s members find ourselves compelled to prioritize the crucial task of rehabilitating our community in a quieter environment. Thus, moving back to the violated kibbutz grounds is not a feasible solution for our future, while maintaining a strong, supportive community is essential.