-
-
-
Loading
Loading
The recovery teams in the neighborhoods near Gaza are still finding bodies. In Kibbutz Be'eri, they discovered the body of a woman who was naked and had her feet bound with wire. Tragically, the bodies of over 20 children were also discovered nearby, tied together and burned. Even the experienced workers are struggling to cope with the devastation, as these deaths are enough to shatter anyone's spirit. The attack has left the community in Nir Oz paralyzed, with ambulances and black vans slowly making their way through the area. The only movement comes from cats, sliding between the remnants of destroyed homes and toys scattered across gardens. The silence is regularly interrupted by loud explosions overhead, serving as a constant reminder that Gaza is just three miles away. In the midst of the chaos, Nir Oz was targeted by Hamas gunmen. Many residents, including a British man named Danny Darlington, are either dead or missing. Danny, who was born and raised in Manchester but recently moved to Germany, was visiting his family in the kibbutz. Although a neighbor identified his body the morning after the attack, the family is still awaiting official confirmation of his death. Danny was not supposed to be in the kibbutz that morning and was supposed to return to Tel Aviv the previous day. However, he decided to stay an extra night. His half-brother, Lior Peri, received a text message from him on the morning of the attack, saying there was chaos in the kibbutz. That was the last Lior heard from Danny, and now he is trying to support their family in Manchester, who are desperate for information. Haim Peri, Lior's father, also went missing during the attack. Haim used to transport sick children from Gaza to Israeli hospitals and had a passion for collecting artwork, some of which remains intact throughout the wreckage of their home. Haim and his wife, Osnat, were hiding in their safe room when Hamas gunmen initially broke in. Although the door to the safe room held strong, the gunmen returned with reinforcements. This time, Haim told his wife to hide behind the sofa in the safe room and opened the door, surrendering himself. While his wife remained hidden, another group of people burst in and ransacked their house, without bothering to look inside the safe room. Haim is now officially listed as a hostage. Families in the area are frustrated by the slow flow of information regarding the deceased and missing. Tent cities illuminated by lights have been set up at army bases to identify the dead. Medical personnel dressed in plastic robes work with the constant noise of generators, fighter planes, and cicadas. At one center, they showed us shipping containers filled with body bags of various sizes. According to a staff member, around 1,000 remains have passed through there, and it's clear from the injuries that many were subjected to abuse, torture, and multiple gunshot wounds. The situation feels less like casualties of war and more like a massacre. It took nine hours for the army to arrive in Nir Oz. With countless troops stationed along the border, Israel is considering a major offensive operation inside Gaza to dismantle Hamas. Lior Peri, however, feels disconnected from the prevailing mood in Israel, which is fueled by a desire for revenge. He hopes that if people hear the families' stories, they might reconsider and prioritize resolving the hostage situation before seeking revenge. The families directly affected by the attack in Israel are caught between two traumas: the national trauma of their country and their personal trauma of losing loved ones and not having answers. They remain frozen in the aftermath, desperately seeking some form of closure.