Two family members hug each other while waiting at Hostages Square in Tel Aviv, Israel, on Monday. Ori Aviram/Middle East Images/AFP/Getty Images Kiryat Gat, Israel —

Two years ago, almost nobody in Israel could point to Nir Oz on a map.

Now, it’s synonymous with October 7, 2023.

Located just three kilometers (1.9 miles) from the Gaza border, this small agricultural kibbutz was home to about 400 people who lived peacefully among quiet tree-lined paths before the war.

That all changed during the first hours of the terror attack, when the kibbutz was all but burned to ashes, with over a quarter of its residents murdered or abducted – infants, the elderly and entire families among them.

Many members of their community were kidnapped by Hamas and affiliated groups that day and take

See Full Page