“Time has stopped here”: Kibbutz Nir Oz holds somber October 7 memorial
A memorial ceremony to commemorate the first anniversary of the October 7 Hamas attack has ended in Israel’s Kibbutz Nir Oz, just a few miles from Gaza.
The agricultural commune of 400 people was among the worst impacted by the attack, with one in four residents murdered or kidnapped.
The Bibas family — husband and wife Yarden and Shiri, their young son Ariel, and baby Kfir — were among those kidnapped on that day. They, along with more than 20 others from the kibbutz, are still being held in Gaza.
In a particularly poignant moment, the names of those murdered in the kibbutz last year were read aloud. The speakers struggled to get through the long list of names, pausing to take a moment when their emotions became too raw.
“We cannot move on when people from the kibbutz are still there, Amat Moshe, whose grandparents were residents of the kibbutz, told CNN before the event started.
Last October, Moshe’s grandmother Adina watched the as Hamas fighters stormed her home and murdered her husband David before kidnapping her to Gaza. She was released as part of a ceasefire deal in November last year.
Most of Nir Oz’s residents have yet to return, living together in the town of Kiryat Gat, about an hour’s drive away. Only six have come back.
Israeli President Isaac Herzog was among those present at the commemoration. He also attended a memorial held at the Nova festival site earlier in the morning.
As people gathered to mark the anniversary, the Israeli military reported that several projectiles were fired from Gaza toward Israel. Throughout the morning, the sounds of outgoing artillery fire could be heard, as the military continued striking targets inside Gaza.
