Israeli Kibbutz Nir Oz survivors return home three years after Hamas attack killed 47 and took 76 hostage

Three years after the Hamas-led attack on Kibbutz Nir Oz in Israel, which killed 47 residents and took 76 hostage, survivors are beginning to rebuild their lives. The last hostages were returned in October 2025, marking the first anniversary without hostages in Gaza. Dalit Aharon, a survivor, expressed relief and a determination to return to the kibbutz, despite a two-year wait for full reopening. The community, once home to about 400 people, is still healing from the trauma, with some homes preserved as memorials to the tragedy.