Nir Oz lost a quarter of its residents in Oct. 7’s massacre — but is resolute on a rebirth

Kibbutz Nir Oz is rebuilding — slowly. 

This once-idyllic, idealistic community of 415 residents was among the hardest hit by the Oct. 7, 2023, massacre. 

Hamas and other terrorists murdered or kidnapped 117 people from the kibbutz — more than one in four residents. 

Now the living hostages and all but two of the dead have returned to Israel, and the war feels limited to units fighting Hamas in Gaza tunnels and the occasional sound of artillery fire in the distance. 

Life is returning to a place marked by death for so long.

Nir Oz was among the communities hardest hit by Haas’ Oct. 7, 2023, massacre.  AP Explore More

I was among the first journalists to

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