American Friends Of Nir Oz

On October 7th, the paradise of Nir Oz turned into hell in a matter of only a few, short hours.

One quarter of the community was either murdered or abducted by Hamas - women, men, the elderly, and children. Entire houses were looted and then burned down to the ground. 80% of the kibbutz was physically destroyed.

For long hours, members languished in their “safe rooms” while desperately holding on to the door handles in an effort to prevent terrorists from entering. The only battle that took place was the heroic struggle of the members of the kibbutz's volunteer security team alongside residents with private weapons who fought valiantly against hundreds of Hamas terrorists. Most of these heroes sacrificed their lives to save their community. 

Despite suffering hours of terror at the hands of Hamas, Nir Oz was the only community in Israel where the army never fired a bullet. The terrorists left right before  members of Israel’s Shayetet 13 unit finally arrived and began evacuating terrified survivors from decimated and burning homes. By the end of the carnage on October 7th, almost 1 of every 4 residents of Nir Oz had either been murdered or taken hostage. 

The survivors of the kibbutz were evacuated to hotels in Eilat, and remained there for three months. In early 2024, the community moved to apartments in Kiryat Gat where they expect to live for the next 2-3 years as Nir Oz is rebuilt. Members of the Kibbutz plan to rebuild a bigger, stronger kibbutz, which will provide hope and inspiration for the nation and for generations to come.