Kibbutz Be’eri Families Push to Rebuild Amid Lasting Trauma of 7 October

Families from Kibbutz Be’eri are still navigating a long and painful road to recovery months after the 7 October 2023 attack, which left one of Israel’s most historic collective communities devastated.

On that morning, Hamas militants launched a large-scale assault on southern Israel, breaching the border in multiple locations. Gunmen entered towns and kibbutzim, killing civilians in their homes and taking hostages, while thousands of rockets were fired toward Israeli cities.

Kibbutz Be’eri Families Push to Rebuild Amid Lasting Trauma of 7 October — *notice for abducted residents who were later killed*

Communities such as Be’eri, Kfar Aza, and Re’im were among the hardest hit.

Walking through the remains of Be’eri today, collapsed homes, burnt doorframes and mangled metal structures reveal the scale of destruction residents hope to overcome as they fight to return to the place they once called home.

“I miss cooking. I have not cooked in two years because I can only cook at home. This is my home and I cannot cook anymore,” said Rita Balirom, a former resident who lost her father-in-law alongside dozens of neighbours in the attack.

Many families remain displaced, living in temporary housing while volunteers and emergency teams continue slow restoration efforts.

Communities such as Be’eri, Kfar Aza and Re’im were among the hardest hit. Nearby, the Nova music festival became one of the deadliest sites of the attack, where some 370 young people were killed or abducted as they attempted to flee.

At the Nova festival site near Re’im, makeshift memorials of flowers, candles, handwritten notes and photographs now transform the grounds into a powerful space of remembrance.

For survivors of both Be’eri and Nova, healing remains a distant journey. Yet despite deep physical and emotional scars, community members speak with determination—to rebuild their homes, restore community life, and keep the memories of the victims alive.