‘I hope they’ll come back: Soldiers replace residents in Israeli kibbutz attacked by Hamas
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Transcript
00:00 Approaching the Gaza border, artillery opens up.
00:05 We're on the way to Nir Am, one of the rare kibbutzim that managed to repulse the Hamas
00:10 attack on October 7th.
00:14 Some of the terrorists that were trying to penetrate this kibbutz came from over here
00:18 behind where you can see all the burnt terrain.
00:21 Those are higher grounds and that's why they were trying to come from that direction.
00:27 Luckily the rapid actions of security staff in sealing the gate prevented the horror unfolding
00:32 outside from getting in.
00:36 Several of the attackers died and the Israeli army secured the kibbutz less than a kilometre
00:42 from the Gaza border a few hours later.
00:45 Among them, Israeli-American reservist Major Shrager.
00:50 Driving down here was just mortifying.
00:53 Every intersection had burnt cars, bodies laying around.
00:57 It was a total war zone.
01:00 A war zone from which the army ultimately flushed out the remaining Hamas militants.
01:06 And after that we were going every night to collect bodies of Israeli hostages that didn't
01:13 make it alive beyond the border.
01:15 And every night we're still going and finding more civilians.
01:22 Some of them are handcuffed, some of them are women, children.
01:27 The zone around Gaza is now a tightly controlled military zone and that includes the kibbutzim
01:33 within it.
01:35 The soldiers are in these two houses.
01:38 This is mine and this is the neighbours.
01:40 A couple with two little kids.
01:46 Fanny has returned to her home for the first time since the attack to collect some of her
01:51 belongings.
01:52 The shooting was here.
01:55 It all happened right here.
01:59 This is home.
02:00 I hope many will come back.
02:02 I'm full of hope.
02:07 There were new families with kids.
02:08 I hope they'll return.
02:12 That though may be a distant prospect for all too many caught up in the October 7th
02:17 attack and who are still too deeply traumatised by the violence to go back.