On November 13th, I went down to Kfar Aza, driving to the south of the country with an Argentine vlogger. We arrived at the meeting point and jumped onto the bus of foreign press led by the government press office. It was just over a month following the mass murder of 1200 Israelis and foreign nationals on October 7th, an atrocity for which Hamas claimed responsibility, filming it with GoPros and body cams and sharing the footage on social media.
Kfar Aza, a kibbutz located in southern Israel, was attacked by around 70 Hamas militants on October 7, 2023, resulting in the death of about 60 civilians, destruction of property, and abductions. The Israel Defense Forces regained control of the village by October 11, 2023. The village showed signs of extensive damage, with homes burnt down, bullet holes through walls, and evidence of looting by Palestinians from Gaza following the attack.
While in Kfar Aza, I heard the IDF dropping bombs in Gaza. David Baruch, an IDF spokesperson, took us into a section of the kibbutz geographically closest to Gaza, where the youngest people lived, including teens and young families. Later, we spoke with Hanan Dann, a resident of Kfar Aza, about being displaced from his home and his hopes for peace with his neighbors.
We also heard from 33-year-old Jamal Moraki, a ZAKA volunteer, originally from the central Israeli city of Rehovot. ZAKA is a search and rescue organization that works on ensuring a full Jewish burial by collecting all body parts, pieces, and blood. Moraki’s testimony highlighted the unity of various populations in Israel during the conflict.
Note: Just a week+ after this video was captured, the small girls referenced in the clip were released from Hamas captivity. That includes four-year-old Abigail Mor Edan who is now an orphan and little Oria Brodetz.
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