Kibbutz Kfar Aza continues to evoke chills and devastation.
Exactly a year ago, militants from the extremist group Hamas invaded Kibbutz Kfar Aza, resulting in numerous casualties. A handful of survivors have returned, grappling with the question of whether life can resume in this place shrouded in terror. Others ponder the same thought.
On a sun-soaked day, Liora Eilon stood in Kfar Aza, the location where her son met his end. She stumbled upon an item among the discarded possessions surrounding an abandoned home. "Every time we come here, Tal leaves us a small token," said the 71-year-old, studying the miniature army figure in her hands.
A year back, Hamas insurgents stormed the kibbutz, taking the life of Tal Eilon, the 46-year-old commander of the local civil defense unit. Liora Eilon now resides in a dormitory at a northern Israeli university. She ponders if she will ever truly reconnect with this place, now a significant part of Israeli history, having witnessed the loss of around 1200 lives and the captivity of approximately 250 individuals. The attack served as the catalyst for the Gaza conflict, with the Hamas-controlled health ministry in Gaza reporting over 41,600 Palestinian casualties since.
Approximately 50 of the original 1000 residents of Kfar Aza have returned. They live among houses scarred by explosive destruction. The other survivors are scattered throughout the nation. They express their anxiety about impending attacks, their trust in the Israeli military, the government, and the Palestinians in Gaza. Some wonder if this place can offer a viable living space. "Will Kfar Aza become a memorial site? Will there be a plaque in every few meters, marking 'he was killed here' and 'he was killed here'?" asked the 58-year-old Sohar Schpack. "It's still October 7th."
The aftermath of that day lingers even a year later. Gardener Rafael Friedman continues to discover remains of extremists in Kfar Aza, likely victims of weapons-related deaths. Kfar Aza has long been known for its close-knit community. Photos of the deceased young adults circulate widely online. The government plans to rebuild the place, while in the meantime constructing prefabricated houses in a nearby kibbutz, where two-thirds of the residents desire to relocate.
Some question if they will ever feel secure in Kfar Aza once more. They seek answers about why the military took so long to respond to the Hamas attack. An investigation is ongoing, but the army has yet to disclose any findings. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has dismissed requests to assume responsibility for the situation before the conclusion of the conflict.
"Still October 7th"
Simona Steinbrecher feels tragically suspended in time. Decisions cannot be made. Her daughter Doron is one of the 66 Israelis still in captivity. It is assumed that Hamas has the bodies of another 35. Steinbrecher last saw Doron in a Hamas propaganda video. "Without Doron, it's still October 7th," she said. "And we won't return home until she's home."
Many Kfar Aza residents plan to boycott the government's memorial ceremony scheduled for Monday. They are organizing their own small event, flying the kibbutz flag at half-mast. They show admiration for the soldiers who fought that day but express anger towards the higher-ups whom they blame for a failing command structure that failed to support the kibbutz when it needed it most.
Eilon is filled with fury and disbelief as she recalls the 35 harrowing hours of suffering her family experienced. When the alarm sounded that Saturday morning, she assumed it would take minutes for the military to arrive. Instead, it took hours.
The family holed up in their shelter. A son and daughter sealed the door against the intruders. Their granddaughters Gali and Mika hid beneath the bed. Eilon received word that her son Tal had left to engage the enemy.
They heard the screams
Five of them huddled in the shelter, listening to the screams of the attackers, gunshots, unsure if Tal was alive or dead. Israeli soldiers secured their home but did not evacuate the family until Sunday afternoon, when extremists once again took refuge in the house.
As she fled, Eilon witnessed a tank point its cannon at her dwelling. It fired, and the building crumbled, entombing the extremists in the rubble. Shortly after their rescue, Eilon learned of her son's demise. "I knew it all along," she said. "But a small piece of me hoped he was injured, unconscious in a hospital."
Amidst the chaos, some residents made haste in military jeeps. Hanan Dann recalls spotting soldiers outside the kibbutz who appeared to be awaiting orders. "I wanted to tell them that there was still fighting taking place, that people were dying," she said. "They could have saved them."
Days of conflict
Armed factions and soldiers battled in Kfar Aza for extended periods. In the end, the attackers had claimed 64 civilian lives and 22 soldiers, while kidnapping 19 individuals to Gaza.
Nearby stands a dilapidated water tower, reminiscent of Be'erot Yitzhak, a kibbutz abandoned following a devastating Egyptian attack in 1948, in the conflict that commenced hours before Israel's official inception. "Is this what Kfar Aza will become in ten years?" Dann asked. "Just a stopover on the highway that I can share with my children?"
Even those with the desire to return acknowledge that Kfar Aza won't resemble its previous self. Schpack acknowledges why no one would consider raising a child in such a place, questioning, "How do you explain this place's past events?"
The future of the kibbutz is intertwined with Gaza for some. They anticipate further attacks as long as there's no peace treaty with the Palestinians. Eilon longs for a new administration that will engage with the Palestinians to "discover a resolution, enabling us to coexist on the same land." "I yearn for the day when an open boundary stretches from here to the sea, allowing two cultures to thrive together."
Human rights advocates have called for a thorough investigation into the military's response time during the Hamas attack on Kfar Aza, emphasizing the need to uphold the fundamental right to life and security for all civilians.
Liora Eilon, along with other survivors, has voiced their concern about the potential impact of the attack on their children's and grandchildren's future, stressing the importance of preserving human rights and ensuring a safe and peaceful environment for all generations to come.
