The kibbutz is located just a few kilometers from the Gaza Strip and was one of several communities attacked when the terrorist organization Hamas launched a coordinated attack on Israel last Saturday.
Hundreds of people were killed and many were taken hostage.
Now, a week later, the area is closed off and instead of residents, there are only soldiers at the site. During Saturday, SVT’s Middle East correspondent Samir Abu Eid and photographer Pablo Torres were allowed to enter the kibbutz.
– It feels very eerie to be here when you know that so many people were killed, says Samir Abu Eid.
Set fire to house
Libby Weiss, a major in the Israeli army, describes the act of Hamas as “horrific”.
– I can imagine what a beautiful, peaceful place this was. But I can also imagine the horror that the people here experienced, she says.
The fighting Hamas supporters had “a variety of weapons” with them when they went on the attack.
– They used hand grenades and rocket launchers. They poured gasoline over the houses and lit them on fire, then waited for the people in the shelters to come out before they shot, says Libby Weiss.
“Must answer”
Israel’s retaliation against Hamas has been extensive. The Gaza Strip has been shelled for the past week and now a ground invasion is likely to follow.
So far, over 2,000 Palestinians in Gaza have been killed. Libby Weiss believes that Hamas bears the ultimate responsibility for the development of events.
– We are warning the population there. We tell them to evacuate the places that can be hit, she says.
– Of course we have to respond, we have to make sure that Hamas can never do it again.