The military says Abu Assi personally led the assault on Kibbutz Nir Oz, where dozens of civilians were murdered and abducted.

By Shmuli Volkin, Jewish Breaking News

The IDF announced that it carried out an airstrike today targeting a senior Hamas operative from the elite Nukhba Force who took part in the October 7, 2023 massacre.

According to the military, the strike was conducted in the Mawasi area of southern Gaza following an overnight attack on Israeli forces in northern Gaza, in which a reservist officer was seriously wounded by Palestinian gunmen.

The target of the operation was Bilal Abu Assi, identified by the IDF as a platoon commander in Hamas’s Nukhba Force—the unit that led the cross-border invasion into Israel on October 7.

The military says Abu Assi personally led the assault on Kibbutz Nir Oz, where dozens of civilians were murdered and abducted.

He is also believed to have played a role in holding the bodies of Israeli hostages in Gaza and in directing further attacks against Israeli troops during the war.

The IDF acknowledged reports that the strike resulted in civilian casualties, including the death of a Red Crescent medic.

The army stated that multiple precautions were taken before and during the operation to minimize harm to civilians, including the use of real-time surveillance and precision-guided munitions.

“The IDF regrets any harm caused to uninvolved civilians,” the statement added.

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742 days after he was murdered in Nir Oz, Eliyahu “Churchill” Margalit was finally brought home, with his family vowing to keep fighting until every last hostage and fallen Israeli is returned for burial.

The post WATCH: Beloved kibbutz pioneer finally returned home after 742 days appeared first on World Israel News.

Nearly two years after October 7, newly released helicopter footage from Nir Oz exposes the chaos, confusion, and heroism inside the kibbutzim that became battlegrounds that morning.

The post WATCH: Newly released aerial footage from Oct. 7th shows chaos and carnage at Nir Oz appeared first on World Israel News.

On October 7, Hamas murdered 47 residents and kidnapped 76 from Nir Oz—today, young Israelis are rebuilding the shattered community with their own hands.

The post WATCH: From horror to hope at kibbutz Nir Oz appeared first on World Israel News.

Educational infrastructure represents a major component, with plans to construct and renovate facilities, communal buildings, youth movements, pre-military academies, yeshivot hesder, and student villages.

By Jewish Breaking News

Communities devastated by the October 7 Hamas massacre will receive comprehensive rebuilding support through a new NIS 750 million fund announced by Keren Kayemeth LeIsrael–Jewish National Fund (KKL-JNF).

After extensive ground assessments revealed widespread destruction—from collapsed infrastructure and private homes to economic collapse across affected communities—KKL-JNF’s Board of Directors greenlit the comprehensive plan on Monday.

Instead of continuing emergency assistance, KKL-JNF is now implementing long-term rehabilitation through a dedicated professional directorate.

Among all participating communities, Kibbutz Nir Oz stands out with special designation as the program’s primary focus, securing NIS 75 million in dedicated funding. October 7 brought unprecedented destruction to the settlement, where roughly a quarter of residents were killed or kidnapped while about 95% of public buildings suffered destruction—damage exceeding any other Gaza Envelope community.

Beyond simply rebuilding, Nir Oz’s rehabilitation plan includes strengthening community bonds and supporting the absorption of over 50 new youth group members.

Officials described this expansion as “a powerful statement of resilience and renewal.”

In this picture taken during a media tour organized by the Israeli military, charred remains of personal belongings lie inside the kibbutz Nir Oz along the border with the Gaza Strip on October 19, 2023, following the October 7 attack by Hamas terrorists.

Border communities in northern Israel affected by Hezbollah rockets will also be rehabilitated under the plan.

Across all participating areas, community rehabilitation and expansion efforts will focus on returning evacuated residents while attracting new populations, particularly professionals in high-demand fields and mission-driven groups.

Educational infrastructure represents another major component, with plans to construct and renovate facilities, communal buildings, youth movements, pre-military academies, yeshivot hesder, and student villages.

Complementing these efforts, innovation and trauma recovery initiatives will establish agricultural and environmental technology centers alongside treatment facilities for post-trauma victims.

“This NIS 750 million investment reflects our deep commitment not only to the rapid restoration of what was lost, but to building a strong, secure, and thriving future—an essential part of Israel’s national renewal after the war,” said KKL-JNF Chairwoman Ifat Ovadia-Luski.

“The people of Israel have endured crises before, and we have always risen from them. We are here to restore hope and stability.”

Moving forward, implementation will involve close coordination with government ministries, local authorities, and affected communities to ensure effective fund investment meeting actual ground-level needs.

Additionally, KKL-JNF plans to establish community centers called “KKL-JNF Houses” throughout Gaza Envelope towns, fostering leadership development among younger generations.

The post Devastated October 7 communities to rise again under KKL-JNF’s largest-ever rebuilding effort appeared first on World Israel News.

Prime Minister Netanyahu visited Kibbutz Nir Oz, one of the communities hardest hit during the October 7 massacre, where he met with residents and Einav Zangauker, whose son Matan is still being held by Hamas in Gaza.

Netanyahu visits Nir Oz for the 1st time

Einav Zangauker, one of his most vocal critics and mother of hostage Matan, hugged him and his wife, Sara

But not all hostage families welcomed him – 'Netanyahu missed the train,' said Danny Elgart, whose brother was murdered by Hamas pic.twitter.com/dad1x3ycJR

— i24NEWS English (@i24NEWS_EN) July 3, 2025



רה״מ נתניהו ורעייתו בביקור בניר עוז pic.twitter.com/zG85JjrXPQ

— ישראל היום (@IsraelHayomHeb) July 3, 2025



BREAKING: The Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is now visiting Nir Oz, for the first time since October 7th. pic.twitter.com/WUd4bD2EYe

— Eli Afriat (@EliAfriatISR) July 3, 2025

Prime minister Netanyahu with Captivity survivor Gadi Moses in Kibbutz Nir Oz earlier: pic.twitter.com/H01RPBvA5S

— Iris (@streetwize) July 3, 2025



Benjamin Netanyahu meeting with Einav Tsengauker, the mother of Matan Tsengauker, who is being held captive by Hamas, in Nir Oz earlier today. pic.twitter.com/4aQNVLwyCt

— Eli Afriat (@EliAfriatISR) July 3, 2025

The post WATCH: Netanyahu visits Nir Oz for the first time since Oct. 7th appeared first on World Israel News.

The funeral procession departed from Rish LeZion at 8:15 a.m., with eulogies set to begin in Nir Oz at 11 a.m. on the lawn by the dining hall, after which the funeral will take place at the kibbutz cemetery.

By JNS

Ohad Yahalomi, who was murdered in Hamas captivity in the Gaza Strip, will be laid to rest at Kibbutz Nir Oz on Wednesday.

His remains were returned to Israel last Thursday, along with those of Itzik Elgarat, Shlomo Mantzur, and Tsachi Idan.

The Yahalomi family, alongside the Hostages and Missing Families Forum, has invited the public to join in the funeral procession and pay their respects.

The funeral procession departed from Rish LeZion at 8:15 a.m., with eulogies set to begin in Nir Oz at 11 a.m. on the lawn by the dining hall, after which the funeral will take place at the kibbutz cemetery.

Elgarat was laid to rest at Kibbutz Nir Oz on Monday.

Mantzur, 86, the oldest hostage held by Hamas prior to his murder in captivity, was laid to rest on Sunday at Kibbutz Kissufim, where he lived for more than 70 years.

The post Murdered hostage Ohad Yahalomi to be laid to rest at Kibbutz Nir Oz appeared first on World Israel News.

Elgarat, 69, was abducted from his home in Kibbutz Nir Oz on Oct. 7.

By Joshua Marks, JNS

Itzik Elgarat, who was murdered while in Hamas captivity in Gaza and whose body was returned to Israel last week, was laid to rest at Kibbutz Nir Oz on Monday.

As the funeral procession set out from Rishon LeZion toward Nir Oz, Itzik’s brother Dani recited the Kaddish.

Along the route to the kibbutz, thousands stood with Israeli flags to pay their respects.

The funeral in Nir Oz was also attended by thousands.

Eulogies were delivered by his brother Dani, his sister Rachel Danzig—who survived the Oct. 7, 2023 massacre—his nephews Amit, Tor, and Mor, his niece Reut Goldstein, and The Democrats chairman Yair Golan.

Elgarat, 69, was abducted from his home in Kibbutz Nir Oz on Oct. 7. He was on the phone with his brother Dani when he was taken captive. He is survived by his two children.

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Oded Lifshitz, an elderly great-grandfather and one of the founders of Kibbutz Nir Oz in 1955, was tragically kidnapped from his home on October 7th and held in Gaza by Palestinian terrorists until they murdered him.

The post WATCH: The story of Oded Lifshitz appeared first on World Israel News.

Kibbutz Nir Oz suffered some of the heaviest losses on Oct. 7, with a quarter of its residents killed or taken hostage.

By JNS

An Israeli Air Force strike killed Abd al-Hadi Sabah, a Hamas operative responsible for leading the deadly assault on Kibbutz Nir Oz during the Oct. 7, 2023, massacre in the northwestern Negev, the IDF announced on Tuesday night.

Sabah was a Nukhba Force platoon commander within Hamas’s Western Khan Yunis Battalion. He operated from a shelter in a designated humanitarian area in Khan Yunis, in the southern Gaza Strip.

https://twitter.com/IDF/status/1874155351097913362?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1874155351097913362%7Ctwgr%5Ed583c457631f3899e2c3459b27979229ccac203d%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.jns.org%2Fiaf-strike-kills-hamas-leader-behind-nir-oz-massacre%2F

Throughout the current war, Sabah orchestrated attacks against Israeli Defense Forces troops. His death was achieved through a coordinated effort between the Israeli Air Force, the IDF and the Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet).

The military highlighted that measures were taken before the strike to minimize civilian casualties.

The IDF and Shin Bet reiterated their commitment to targeting all individuals involved in the Oct. 7 assault, which resulted in some 1,200 fatalities, thousands of injuries, and the abduction of 251 individuals, of whom 96 remain in Gaza, along with four others taken earlier.

Kibbutz Nir Oz suffered some of the heaviest losses on Oct. 7, with a quarter of its residents killed or taken hostage.

The post IAF strike kills Hamas leader behind Nir Oz massacre appeared first on World Israel News.

In December, Israel’s Cabinet approved the outline for a strategic five years and up to 18 billion shekel plan to rehabilitate and develop the Gaza-adjacent region and its population.

By JNS

A majority of Kibbutz Nir Oz members voted on Monday to return to their destroyed homes and rebuild.

The kibbutz was among the hardest hit communities during Hamas’s Oct. 7, 2023, invasion of southern Israel.

One in four residents was either killed or kidnapped, including the Bibas family, mother Shiri, husband Yarden and their two children, Ariel, 4, and Kfir, 9 months old.

In a letter to the government, the kibbutz members stressed their expectations for a large-scale and generous construction plan, according to Israel’s Channel 12 News.

In May, Israel Defense Forces Brig. Gen. Moshe Edri, the head of the government body overseeing the rehabilitation of the Gaza border region, said residents of Be’eri, Nir Oz and Kfar Aza would only be able to return home in two to three years.

Edri said that residents of those communities would be set up in temporary housing until then.

In December, Israel’s Cabinet approved the outline for a strategic multi-year plan to rehabilitate and develop the Gaza-adjacent region and its population.

The plan comprises a broad budgetary framework for five years (2024-2028) of up to 18 billion shekels ($4.9 billion).

Following the Oct. 7 massacre, all residents within seven kilometers of the Gaza border were evacuated.

In January, the IDF Home Front Command allowed the partial return of some communities, including those of Kibbutz Bror Hayil, Kibbutz Dorot, Kibbutz Gvar’am, Moshav Mavki’im, Moshav Yakhini and Kibbutz Yad Mordechai.

The post Kibbutz Nir Oz votes to rebuild following Oct. 7 destruction appeared first on World Israel News.

In the year since she survived the Hamas-led Oct. 7 massacre in her kibbutz, Nir Oz, Lahav has struggled to explain to international media what happened that day.

By Andrew Tobin, The Washington Free Beacon

Irit Lahav, a 58-year-old professional tour guide, knows how to walk clueless foreigners through unfamiliar terrain.

But in the year since she survived the Hamas-led Oct. 7 massacre in her kibbutz, Nir Oz, Lahav has struggled to explain to international media what happened that day.

No matter how many interviews she arranges with her traumatized neighbors or tours she gives of their burned-out homes, many journalists have continued to tell the story of the worst attack on Jews since the Holocaust as another chapter in Israel’s supposed persecution of the Palestinians.

“People are saying Israel is bad,” Lahav, a former peace activist, told the Washington Free Beacon last week during a visit to Nir Oz, about a mile and a half from Israel’s border with southern Gaza.

“What? The Palestinians are holding our hostages … How would one feel if it was their daughter, their grandfather, their father, their 2 -year-old children, baby Kfir [Bibas in Hamas captivity in Gaza]?”

“The Palestinians are very good at PR, they’ve done a very good job, and Israeli people say, ‘We don’t need to explain ourselves because we know that we are moral people,'” she added. “But at the end of the day, people only see what the media shows.”

Once a leafy paradise, Nir Oz was one of the first Israeli communities to be overrun on Oct. 7, and it was among the hardest hit.

About 120 Hamas and Hamas-affiliated terrorists followed by a mob of some 800 Gazans, including women and children, poured into the kibbutz over the course of the daylong pogrom, which overwhelmed unprepared Israeli security forces.

The terrorists killed 41 people and abducted 76 others, according to the Nir Oz community. Most of the modest one-story houses and other buildings were destroyed by arson, gunfire, grenades, and looting.

Israel responded with an ongoing war to destroy Hamas, the Iran-backed Palestinian terrorist group that governed Gaza, and return the hostages.

Iran and its other terrorist affiliates, from Hezbollah in Lebanon to the Houthis in Yemen, have joined the multifront battle, which has threaten to expand into all-out regional war.

A number of leading English-language news outlets have faced scrutiny for apparent anti-Israel bias in their coverage of the Gaza war and among staffers.

The Washington Post has stood out from the crowd with repeated factual errors at Israel’s expense and a foreign desk packed with former employees of Al Jazeera, a Qatari network that the Jewish state recently banned from operating in the country, citing alleged ties to Hamas.

Lahav recalled with anger how the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation reported on the August funeral of Avraham Munder, 79, who was abducted from his home in Nir Oz on Oct. 7 along with his wife, daughter, and only grandson.

The terrorists killed Munder’s son during the attack. Munder “suffered bodily and mental torture for months” in Hamas captivity before he was killed, according to the Nir Oz community.

The CBC report, which aired on the state broadcaster’s flagship nightly news program, made no mention of the Oct. 7 attack or what happened to Munder or his family other than to question “whether it was Hamas or Israel’s attacks [on Hamas] that killed” him.

Interviews with mourners focused solely on their complaints that the Israeli government had failed to secure the return of the abductees who remained in Gaza. The second half of the two-minute segment was dedicated to displaced and injured Palestinians in Gaza, especially children.

“Some of their gruesome injuries, including small headless bodies, are just too horrendous to show,” a voiceover intoned.

Lahav accused the CBC of having “completely erased” Hamas’s atrocities in Nir On on Oct. 7.

CBC did not respond to a request for comment.

Most of the former residents of Nir Oz, including Lahav, have temporarily relocated to government-provided apartment towers in Kiryat Gat, a city in southern Israel.

Locals fully furnished and equipped the apartments, even providing clothing, toothbrushes, and artwork. Every Friday, members of a different Israel community have brought the evacuees sweets.

“It’s a very nice gesture,” Lahav said as people gathered to collect the sweets last week.

“Some of the people here who are receiving cakes and fruits are people who lost their loved ones or [whose loved ones] are still hostages in the hands of the Palestinians. You look at them, you would not even imagine that they’re going through this emotional stress right now. But these are the people.”

Forty women and children who were abducted from Nir Oz on Oct. 7 were returned in a November ceasefire deal between Hamas and Israel, and another 16 have been confirmed dead, according to the Nir Oz community.

Twenty have remained in Gaza, potentially alive. Negotiations for another hostage-ceasefire deal have gone nowhere.

The former Nir Oz residents have begun planning to rebuild the kibbutz, but the process is expected to take at least three years, and they disagree about how to do so in a way that honors their dead and missing, Lahav said.

Some of the former residents, especially those with young children, are not sure they will ever feel safe enough to go home.

Meanwhile, Lahav has continued to drive an hour each way to Niz Oz once a week to give journalists tours of the kibbutz. She said she keeps fighting to tell the real story of Oct. 7 in hopes that the world will step up pressure on Hamas.

“My friends who are there [in Gaza, like] Oded Lifshitz, who was like my second father, how would he feel if I would just be sitting around doing nothing?” she said.

“I think they expect us, they expect the whole world to turn every stone and say, ‘No.’ They wait for us. They wait for us to rescue them, and ‘us’ is the whole world, the whole [of] humanity.”

The post A year later, Kibbutz Nir Oz still fighting to tell the real story of Oct. 7 appeared first on World Israel News.

The president toured Yad Vashem, the Western Wall, among other stops in his inaugural trip to Israel.

The post WATCH: President of Argentina visits massacred kibbutzim appeared first on World Israel News.

In the main room, a cake with Kfir’s picture is surrounded by sweets and balloons.

By Amelie Botbol, JNS

“It’s my birthday and no one will celebrate with me,” Yossi Schneider read out from a letter as family members and representatives of the Hostage and Missing Families Forum marked Kfir Bibas’s first birthday in Nir Oz.

“It’s my birthday and I am not with my family. It’s my birthday and I don’t get presents. It’s my birthday and I hope that you remember me,” continued Schneider, Shiri Bibas’s cousin.

On Oct. 7, Shiri, her husband Yarden, and their two children, Ariel, 4, and Kfir, then nine months old, were kidnapped by Hamas terrorists in Nir Oz, less than a mile from the Gaza border.

Seventy-eight residents of the kibbutz were kidnapped and another 39 were killed.

“We are here in Nir Oz celebrating the birthday of Kfir, who isn’t with us,” Schneider told JNS while standing next to Kfir’s kindergarten, whose roof was reinforced three years ago to withstand rocket attacks and which was redecorated for this occasion.

“It’s crazy to bake and bring a cake, put balloons and blessings on the wall for someone who’s not even here,” he added.

Over 100 days after the massacre, the splendid greenery of Nir Oz, containing one of Israel’s most elaborate botanical gardens, still contrasts with ruins of deserted houses, dried blood stains, and smells of burned flesh that Hamas terrorists left behind.

Nir Oz, Schneider said, used to be paradise, full of happy people. Now, all that remains are the memories.

Inside the kindergarten, orange balloons lined the walls along with pictures of Kfir and Maya Goren, his teacher, who was killed in the building on Oct. 7.

In the main room, a cake with Kfir’s picture is surrounded by sweets and additional balloons.

“They were very modest and humble people who had come to Nir Oz to live their life quietly and peacefully. Shiri is an artist and a lovable kindergarten teacher with a great sense of humor,” Schneider told JNS.

“Kfir did not have a chance to live a normal life, he did not have enough time to experience things. Ariel [his brother] loved Batman. The family bought Batman pajamas for everybody,” he added.

On Oct. 7, a video showing Shiri holding Ariel and Kfir in her arms as they were kidnapped by Hamas terrorists went viral on social media. Later, pictures emerged of a terrorist holding a hammer in one hand while strangling husband Yarden, who was bleeding and surrounded by a mob of Gazans.

In late November, 110 Israelis and foreign nationals were released as part of a week-long truce between Israel and Hamas. While most women and children were freed, Shiri, Ariel and Kfir were not among those returned.

Shortly thereafter, Hamas released a video showing Yarden, emaciated, imploring the Israeli government to broker a deal for his family, even as terrorists indicated they had perished in an Israeli airstrike. The claim was not confirmed by the IDF.

Nili Margalit, a former captive released as part of the ceasefire agreement, was with Yarden when his captors told him his wife and children were dead. According to her, Yarden, who was already in a weak psychological state, broke down.

Schneider told JNS that he believes the family will eventually return.

“Somehow I can feel them, I can feel that they are still alive,” he said. “I cannot really explain it, because it’s a feeling. There is no other option for me. I have to keep acting like they are alive and do everything to bring them back as soon as possible.”

As part of the day in Nir Oz, Sharon Aloni-Cunio, who spent 52 days in captivity in Gaza, visited the ruins of her house. She was released along with her daughters on Nov. 27, while her husband, David, 34, is still being held by Hamas.

“David made me promise that I would fight for him, that I would scream out his despair to the rest of the world as he is unable to do so. I will not give up on you David, you are the love of my life,” she said.

Daniel Lifshitz, whose grandparents Oded, 83, and Yocheved, 85, were both kidnapped from their home in Nir Oz on Oct. 7, also toured the kibbutz.

Yocheved was released on Oct. 23, but Oded remains in the Strip.

“Use every tool, every ounce of influence to bring our people home,” Daniel told the gathering. “I call for an immediate ceasefire. This is the first crucial step in negotiations to release the hostages, signaling our commitment to peaceful resolution,” he added.

Even as the IDF shifts its campaign in Gaza to more low-intensity fighting, the ceremony in Nir Oz coincided with the largest Hamas rocket barrage on southern Israel in weeks.

The sound of missiles and explosions in the background was not new to the residents and regular visitors of Nir Oz, Schneider explained. Alarms alerting them of incoming rockets sound almost daily, providing a 15-second window to seek shelter.

Often, the explosions would come before the sirens due to the short distance between Nir Oz and Gaza.

“Sometimes, 15 seconds isn’t even enough,” he said.

At the end of the ceremony, attendees released balloons into the sky in the direction of Gaza while wishing Kfir a happy birthday.

“For a baby to celebrate his first birthday in captivity has never happened before,” Jimmy Miller, also Shiri’s cousin, told JNS.

“These children do not belong in captivity,” he continued. “They are not Hamas’s enemies. They did not do anything to anyone. They are being used as human shields and bargaining chips. The entire world must put pressure on Hamas using all existing means for their release.”

The post Family of Kfir Bibas marks his first birthday in Hamas captivity appeared first on World Israel News.

As the war entered 100 days, time stopped on Oct. 7th for survivors from massacred communities such as Nir Oz.

The post WATCH: One in four Nir Oz residents were killed or taken hostage on Oct.7 appeared first on World Israel News.

‘I was close to dying more than once, it’s a miracle I’m still alive.’

By The Algemeiner

Elad Katzir, an Israeli farmer held hostage in Gaza for over three months, was seen pleading for his freedom in a video posted online by Palestinian terror group Islamic Jihad on Monday.

Hamas, which rules Gaza, and its smaller ally Islamic Jihad have periodically released videos of hostages taken during Hamas’ Oct. 7 cross-border rampage into southern Israel.

“I was close to dying more than once, it’s a miracle I’m still alive,” Katzir said, a black and yellow Islamic Jihad flag hung from a wall behind him. “I want to tell my family that I love them very much and I miss them very much,” he said, before pausing to choke back tears.

Typically, hostage videos have been filmed in front of a wall in poor lighting, with captives reciting calls for their release. The men, like Katzir in the latest video, often have full beards. The Israeli military has said the videos amount to “psychological terror.”

More than 130 hostages remain in Gaza, most believed to be in Hamas’s hands after more than 100 were released during a short-lived truce in late November.

Israel says it will press on with its devastating military offensive in Gaza until Hamas is wiped out, all captives are freed, and the Palestinian enclave poses no more security threat. Hamas has said it will free no more hostages at least until Israel halts the war.

Katzir, 47, was snatched by terrorists from the agricultural kibbutz of Nir Oz. His father was killed in his home there during Hamas’ incursion and his mother was also taken hostage. She was among those later freed during the truce. Katzir appeared in a similar video from captivity last month.

Katzir was interviewed by Reuters in 2018 while working in the fields and spoke about the threat he and his neighbors felt from Hamas across the nearby border in Gaza.

“There is a chance that a sniper from the other side is watching me and I’m already in his sights,” Katzir said at the time. “Instead of caring for the welfare of people in Gaza they deal with terror and in how to harm us.”

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