by Ilaria Myr
“I want them to bring my husband’s body home. I and our children need a grave on which to mourn and remember him, and close the circle of these tragic events.” Ela Chaimiof the kibbutz Nir Yitzhak, speaks with the calm of someone who suffers from a tragic and violent loss, but must be strong every day to continue raising their children: the husband Talon October 7, 2023, when Hamas terrorists entered the Kibbutz, located 3 km from Gaza, he immediately left home to defend the community with the security team he was part of, but never returned.
For two months his family and friends thought he was a hostage in Gaza, and hoped he could return home one day, alive, as happened in 5 other community members: 3 released during the agreements with Hamas in November (Clara Marman, Gabriella and Lia Lemberg) and 2 by the Israeli army (Luis Har and Fernando Marman). Two months ago the tragic news arrived: Tal Chaimi was killed immediately on October 7 and dragged to Gaza, along with the bodies of two other security team members, Lior Rudaeff and Oren Goldin. Another 5 members have already been buried in the kibbutz cemetery: 3 of the security team (Yaron Shahar, Ofek Arazi and Boaz Avraham), whose bodies were found a few days later, Ofir Melman, who was in the Sufà military base taken by terrorists, and Ela Turgeman, who went to the Nova festival and died in hospital following her injuries.
Since then Ela Chaimi, who in the meantime has given birth to her fourth child, has hoped to get her husband’s body back, to be able to give him a fair and dignified burial, and to have her and her children have a place to remember him and talk to him.
«It is very difficult for our children – he tells Mosaico from Eilat, where all the members of the Kibbutz are displaced -: two twins are 10 years old, one is 7 and the newborn was born after October 7th. What do they know? Everything: for some time I wondered whether I should tell or omit something, but in the end I decided to tell them everything that had happened, without hiding anything. Now they just need to return to some normality, to their points of reference, and to their home.”
A difficult return home
However, it is not known when the return home will take place: with the war in Gaza and the situation still ‘hot’, the inhabitants of the kibbutz do not know when they will return, but they will certainly they know that under these conditions they don’t want to do it now.
«In February the army had suggested to the government that we could return to our homes and that there was no security problem – he explains to Mosaico Naama Bahar, 40 years old, born and raised on the kibbutz -. But for us this meant going back to living in a war context, and we don’t want this because it is dangerous, also because our kibbutz is 3 km from Rafiah. The army therefore made a specific reflection, deciding that it is not possible to return to Nir Yitzhak, and brought its considerations to the government, which however must sit down and make an ad hoc decision. But since February the issue has still been on the table.”
Meanwhile, the Tkumà government group, which specifically deals with the communities of the Gaza Envelope (the inhabited area in Israeli territory around Gaza), has decided to extend their stay in the hotel in Eilat, initially until July 7th. «But we are approaching July 7th and we see that there is still war, and many still don’t feel like returning home – continues Naama -. And then it is very important for us to stay together as a community. Tkuma therefore proposed extending it until September 1st, but it is not a solution for us, because it does not allow those with children who go to school to do a year of school in a peaceful context. We are therefore trying to evaluate what other options we have.”
Hence the idea of publish a post on Instagram in which temporary hospitality is requested. “The Nir Yitzhak community, which was evacuated from its home, is looking for a temporary home for the next school year – says the post -. Kibbutz Nir Yitzhak, located about 3 km from Rafah, suffered a severe blow on 07/10. We are looking for a temporary solution for the next school year for around 40 families. We are a happy, close-knit community and will be happy to contribute and integrate into any community that opens its doors to us. We will be happy to make our community’s dream come true until we can return home safely.”
To date, some options have arrived, which a group within the kibbutz is examining, and will then put to a vote among all members.
But is there anyone who has already decided that they will never return to the kibbutz? «No one has decided anything yet, there is war and the kidnapped people haven’t returned home, therefore it is premature to make plans – explains Naama -. Certainly everyone wants to return to their home, but if we continue to be a war zone there will probably be people who will leave.”
“The attack on October 7 did not surprise us. But not being protected by the state is.”
Kibbutz Nir Yitzhak – which has 580 members, many of whom are of Argentine origin – is one of those many communities located near the Gaza Strip. Affiliated to the socialist Zionist movement Hashomer Hatzair, like almost all other communities around it, it has always believed in peace and possible coexistence with the Palestinians. The writer spent 6 happy months there in 1995: at the time – Yitzhak Rabin was still alive – there was no Hamas in government, there were no missiles launched continuously from Gaza and we truly lived in an oasis of peace. In fact, the undersigned asked to be taken to Rafiah so she could take a bus to go to Egypt… Then it was possible to do so.
«In reality it hasn’t been like this for some time – Naama explains -. We have been in a different security situation than in the past for almost 20 years, and kids aged 20 and under don’t know a different reality than the one in which missiles rain down on our heads. Obviously everyone has their own ideas: I personally have never thought that there was great love for us on the other side, and I have always believed that those who wanted peace among the Palestinians did so only to avoid living in war and to have more possibilities. At the same time, I never believed that this was possible for people closed in a territory oppressed by a force like Hamas and with borders controlled by Israel. So I wasn’t surprised by what happened on October 7th. What amazed me and everyone instead is seeing that the state and the army were not there that day, from 6.30 in the morning for two whole days. This was the great disappointment: not knowing that the Palestinians don’t love us, but knowing that we are not defended, while we were sure we were.”
Now Naama, Ela and all the members of the kibbutz ask only one thing from the government: to bring home the hostages, people who have been torn from their lives as citizens. «It had to be done the next day, and then we could think about war! – says Naama -. Now we find ourselves in a situation where there is war, we are not safe and we don’t even have the people we love with us. What if I want there to be elections? Of course, I think there must be because on October 7 something enormous happened, which created a very big crisis of confidence in the Israeli people. If Netanyahu and his coalition emerge victorious again at the polls, we will accept it, we are in a democracy. But it is important that we are now given the opportunity to express our preferences after what happened.”
