Construction of New Homes in Kibbutz Nahal Oz, Community Ravaged on Oct. 7, Will Be Completed This Summer
by Shiryn Ghermezian
Kibbutz member Yael Raz Lachyani, 49, walks by the fence of Kibbutz Nahal Oz in southern Israel, Oct. 28, 2025. Hamas gunmen killed 15 people from Nahal Oz and took eight more hostage to Gaza on Oct. 7, 2023. Photo: REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun
The construction of new homes in Kibbutz Nahal Oz will be completed this summer for families who want to join the community after nearly a quarter of its residents were killed or taken hostage during the Hamas-led terrorist attack in southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, the head of the kibbutz, Ilan Morag, told Israeli news outlet Walla on Wednesday.
“We are moving forward, Hamas will not defeat us – the renewal of the kibbutz is part of the process of reconstruction and victory,” Morag said. He added that 80 families who left Kibbutz Nahal Oz after the Oct. 7 massacre have already moved back, while sources told Walla many more families have asked to move into the Gaza border community. Residents began moving back to the kibbutz in 2024.
Nahal Oz was among the Gaza border communities hit the hardest in the Hamas attack on Oct. 7, 2023. Fifteen of its members were murdered and eight others were taken captive, including a community member killed in captivity in Gaza.
On the eve of the Jewish holiday of Shavuot earlier this month, the residents of Nahal Oz reopened the local pub on the kibbutz, according to Walla. HaTzrif (“The Shack”) now commemorates 21-year-old Sgt. First Class Tal Lahat, who fought to defend the kibbutz during the Oct. 7 attack and was killed fighting in Gaza in July 2024. The renovation of the building was done with help from volunteers from Germany and The Netherlands.
