‘Like the end of the world’: Israelis still haunted by 7 October Hamas attacks one year on
It was just after 6.30am when the first shots were fired.
A wave of Hamas fighters arrived at kibbutz Kfar Aza on foot and in the air, breaking through the Gaza border fence and flying over on hang gliders. Residents hid in their shelters, unsure of what was happening outside.
The kibbutz, only 1.8 miles (3 km) from the Gaza border, was one of the first reached by Hamas on that October Saturday morning.
Burned-out cars in Kfar Aza
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‘Everything is destroyed’
“It seemed like the end of the world,” recalls Aviva Siegel, a resident of the kibbutz. “My house was shaking, from all the rockets that were coming out of Gaza.”
Around 9am, a second Hamas wave arrived, some on foot, others flying over the border with paragliders.
It was 12 hours before the Israeli military arrived. It took them days to retake Kfar Aza.
Kibbutz Kfar Aza
Finally, on Tuesday morning, after three and a half days of fighting, the longest battle was over.
At least one of the dead had been decapitated. The charred bodies of others were discovered in the ash of homes. The United Nations found evidence of sexual violence there.
Eighteen of the residents had also been taken hostage by Hamas. Some dead, some alive, they were forced into Gaza. Aviva Siegel and her husband Keith were two of them.
Aviva Siegel and her husband were taken hostage by Hamas. She was released last November, but he wasn’t
Ms Siegel said: “They pushed us and Keith fell, and they broke his ribs. They shot us and one of the bullets hit Keith’s hand.
“I remember going through the big, huge fence. It was just open, and we just drove into Gaza.”
By then, thousands of Hamas had been joined by other militant fighters from Gaza. All along Israel’s border, they rampaged through kibbutzim. The Israeli military fought running battles; more than 60 soldiers were killed that day.
Kfar Aza today is a ghost village. A few people have returned – if their houses are still standing.
Shar Shnurman and his wife hope kibbutz life will return soon
Shar Shnurman and his wife now cook for the Israeli soldiers stationed on the border and hope kibbutz life will come back soon.
Standing by his BBQ, destroyed houses on every side of the street, he cuts a lonely figure.
“I didn’t see any other option but to live in my house, my land. It is what I owe to this country, what I owe to my father. This is the education I got: never to leave the house, never to leave my land. So, we came back.”
One year on, many of the residents of Kfar Aza are still temporarily living in a kibbutz north of Tel Aviv. They are still haunted by 7 October. Some are angry that they were abandoned.
“I’m disappointed with the army,” another former resident, Shani, tells us.
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‘On 7 October life dramatically changed’
“You know, my enemy is my enemy. I didn’t think if they would come in, they would come to what? To shut down the electricity? No, they come to kill us. We knew it. But we thought we had a country and an army that was supposed to defend us.”
Massive weekly protests have been held across Israel, demanding a ceasefire and hostage deal. Hundreds of thousands have taken to the streets in the hope that Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would listen and act. For whatever reason, whoever is really to blame, it hasn’t happened.
The 7 October attack brought a divided Israel back together. Bitter splits over judicial reforms being pushed by Mr Netanyahu’s right-wing government were forgotten as the IDF set about destroying Hamas.
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Attack on Israel ‘will be done again if necessary’
According to one poll, by the Israeli Democracy Institute, 80% of Israelis support the military’s invasion of Lebanon to return 60,000 Israelis to their homes on the northern border.
But few thought the war would last this long. Mr Netanyahu has skillfully and, his critics would say, cynically clung to power even though he has refused to accept any responsibility for the 7 October attacks despite being prime minister at the time.
His popularity is higher now, following the widespread assassinations of Hezbollah leaders, than it has been for many months. Few would bet against him remaining in office until elections scheduled for 2026; many believe he will win those too.
Shani, who used to live on the kibbutz, says she is ‘disappointed’ with the Israeli army
Mr Netanyahu has failed to propose a “day-after” plan for Gaza, and Hamas is starting to re-emerge in the north of the Strip, much to the annoyance of senior IDF commanders.
The Israeli government has described the invasion of Lebanon as “limited and targeted” but has put forward no strategy for exiting. The invasion, still only days old, is already showing signs of becoming another drawn-out grinding conflict.
Of the roughly 250 people taken hostage on 7 October, 97 are still being held in Gaza. Until they are released or rescued, dead or alive, Mr Netanyahu won’t be able to claim any victory.
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Kfar Aza kibbutz
Many hostage families believe Mr Netanyahu has deliberately avoided doing a deal with Hamas and label him a murderer as a result. Ms Siegel was released last November, but her husband, Keith, wasn’t. One morning, she said a rushed goodbye to her husband and hasn’t seen or heard from him since.
“I bent down to him and said I’m going to Israel and that he must be strong for me, and I will be strong for him. And that’s how we separated, he didn’t say a word.”
No matter how many times Aviva has retold her story, her lip trembles and her eyes water.
Destruction in Gaza
“He was in shock, I was in shock. I’ve got no idea what Keith thought and how he managed that moment. He said nothing.”
The 7 October attack changed everything. For millions, it was the day normal life paused. A year on, the war in Gaza continues and conflict has spread across the region.
More than 41,000 have been killed in Gaza, but Hamas remains undefeated. Israel has invaded Lebanon, but Hezbollah is fighting back.
With some inevitability, Iran and the United States are being dragged into a war that is now tumbling out of their control.
Mr Netanyahu promised Israelis “total victory” over their enemies – it’s unclear when or how that will come.
World
Germany: At least one dead and 60-80 injured after car attack in German city – police find suspected explosives in vehicle
At least 11 people have been killed and dozens of others injured after a car was driven into a crowd at a Christmas market in Germany, local media reports.
News agency dpa said the driver has been arrested following the incident in the eastern city of Magdeburg, while Public broadcaster MDR reports almost 70 people have been injured – 15 seriously.
A city spokesman said the initial assessment is that this was an attack, with all hospitals in the nearby city of Halle preparing for a mass casualty event, according to a security official.
Germany latest as car shown ‘driving at speed’
German newspaper Bild reports at least 11 people have been killed and MDR said police have blocked off the area as there is a suspicion of explosives in the suspect’s car.
City spokesman Michael Reif said he suspects it was a deliberate act, adding there are “numerous injured” and that the “pictures are terrible”.
Magdeburg’s University Hospital said it is treating 10-20 patients and preparing for more, dpa reports.
Emergency services at the Christmas market in Magdeburg. Pic: AP
Germany‘s chancellor, Olaf Scholz, said “the news suggests something bad” and that his thoughts are with “the victims and their families”.
The state premier Reiner Haseloff, who is on his way to the scene, said it is a “terrible event, especially now in the days before Christmas”, according to MDR.
Pic: AP
Police said on X that “extensive operations” were taking place at the market, which has been closed.
Weihnachtsmarkt Magdeburg has posted on Instagram warning people to leave the market and allow emergency services to do their work.
Pic: D’rthe Hein/picture-alliance/dpa/AP
Sky News’s Europe correspondent Siobhan Robbins said initial videos from the scene show what appears to be a car “driving at speed” into a crowd at a Christmas market.
“The police have put out a statement saying there’s an extensive police operation that’s going on and they haven’t officially said yet whether this is terror,” she added.
“That of course will be something that a lot of people will be asking. There has been a warning for Christmas markets across Europe to be on high alert for possible terror attacks.”
Pic: dpa via AP
Germany’s interior minister Nancy Faeser said last month there were no concrete signs of a danger to Christmas markets this year, but added it was wise to be vigilant.
On 19 December 2016, an Islamic extremist drove a car into a crowd at a Christmas market in Berlin, killing 13 people and injuring dozens more.
Magdeburg, which is west of Berlin, is the state capital of Saxony-Anhalt and has a population of about 240,000.
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World
Russia should have invaded Ukraine ‘earlier’ says Putin – as he addresses possible peace talks
Vladimir Putin has said Russia should have invaded Ukraine earlier, in a national address spanning more than four hours.
Russia began the conflict with its neighbour in February 2022 and at his annual televised news conference, Mr Putin claimed the war has made Russia “stronger”.
The decision to invade “should have been made earlier” he added, before stating Russia could have “prepared for it in advance and more thoroughly”.
Ukraine war latest: Russian general inflated 2024 territorial gains, analysts find
He claimed: “Russia has become much stronger over the past two or three years because it has become a truly sovereign country.
“We are standing firm in terms of economy, we are strengthening our defence potential and our military capability now is the strongest in the world.”
The news conference also saw Mr Putin address a possible end to the war, as he said he is “ready to compromise” in possible talks with US President-elect Donald Trump.
He said he was open to meeting Mr Trump, who has pledged to negotiate a deal to end the conflict, saying the two would “have things to discuss”.
“Politics is the art of compromise. We have always said that we are ready for both talks and compromise,” he said.
Mr Putin’s news conference being broadcast on a giant screen in Moscow. Pic: AP
“Soon, those Ukrainians who want to fight will run out, in my opinion, soon there will be no one left who wants to fight,” he continued. “We are ready, but the other side needs to be ready for both negotiations and compromises…”
Any talks should be based on “the situation on the ground”, Mr Putin added, referring to conditions he previously laid out.
He has previously demanded Ukraine withdraw its bid to join NATO and asked it to recognise Russia’s gains. Both Kyiv and the West have rejected those demands.
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Mr Putin also said Moscow will only be ready to sign a deal with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy if he secures re-election.
Mr Zelenskyy’s five-year term technically came to an end in May but was extended due to martial law.
In response to a question about Moscow’s new hypersonic missile, he mockingly challenged the US to a “high-tech duel” to see whether Western tech could protect Ukraine from a strike using the weapon.
With a dry smile, he said: “Let them select a target, possibly in Kyiv, put their air defence assets there and we shall strike it with the Oreshnik [missile]. Let’s see what happens.”
Zelenskyy responds to Putin’s comments
Mr Putin’s comments have already sparked a strong response from Mr Zelenskyy, who is currently in Brussels for a summit on the Ukraine war.
In response to the duel suggestion, Mr Zelenskyy replied: “Do you think he is a sane person?”
Mr Zelenskyy addressing a European Union leaders summit in Brussels today. Pic: Reuters
In a show of solidarity with Ukraine, a number of EU leaders at the summit repeated a variation of a common mantra – nothing about Ukraine without Ukraine, nothing about security in Europe without Europeans.
Luxembourg’s Prime Minister Luc Frieden said: “We need to stand with Ukraine, and every step […] needs to be taken with Ukraine and in the presence of the European Union.
“The future of Ukraine is decided in Europe and not elsewhere.”
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