On October 7, 2023, the peaceful community of Kibbutz Nir Oz awoke to a horrific reality. As the attack by a swarm of 150 Hamas terrorists unfolded and continued for several hours, it became painfully clear that no one was coming to their aid. The members of the kibbutz had no other option but to defend themselves, knowing the odds of survival were not good. Not a single gunshot had been fired by the IDF in Nir Oz, and the IDF did not arrive until hours after the massacre had ended. They only arrived in time to extract the wounded survivors, leaving the community devastated and traumatized by the brutal violence they had witnessed firsthand. According to the government’s Impact Criteria Report published on July 29, 2024, Nir Oz suffered a staggering 25.65% casualty rate per population, the highest among affected communities, followed by Beeri at 8.9%. A total of 174 people of the 271 who survived October 7 have chosen to stay together and rebuild, determined to forge a new path forward.