Nir Oz has become a symbol of the tragedy of October 7. Today, the community is trying to recover and a key to recovery is making people feel safe and secure to return and live here.
Some may find it jarring to watch soldiers running around with rifles, repelling a mock attack. It may bring up traumatic memories.
"Two Israelis, dressed in olive-green uniforms similar to those of soldiers, peer around the side of a beige building. They each hold rifles as they scan for enemies. Then, they advance, keeping to the side of the building until they reach the end of a wall and have to peer around to check their surroundings.
"The two Israelis are members of Kibbutz Nir Oz’s security team, which is known as the Kitat Konenut. They are civilian volunteers who help protect Israeli communities, and they are trained to confront terrorist threats.
"However, on October 7, many of the communities on the Gaza border, such as Nir Oz, found themselves overrun by dozens of terrorists. Of around 400 residents of Nir Oz present at the Kibbutz on October 7, 69 were killed either in the attack or after being taken hostage. A total of 76 people were taken hostage. Nir Oz has since become a symbol of the tragedy of October 7. Today, the community is trying to recover, and a key to recovery is making people feel safe and secure again
"On May 4, the new security team was partaking in a training program run by a group called Magen 48. Ehud Dribben, co-founder of Magen 48, described how his organization is training security teams on the Gaza border and across Israel. He has done this for decades, and Magen 48 is the result of his long background in both security and war.
"'Magen was established to stop the next October 7,” Dribben says. “On October 7, I saw the communities that had security teams that were prepared survived. Those that didn’t were wiped out. My life mission is to train every city, every village, every town in Israel so that, when the next October 7 comes, they will be ready.” . . . More...
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