Before Hamas’s rampage through southern Israel on 7 October, the kibbutz of Nir Oz was home to 400 people. It was a lively community that had historically enjoyed good relationships with the population in neighbouring Gaza.
Situated just 1.2 miles (2km) east of the Gaza Strip, Nir Oz suffered some of the worst violence on 7 October with a quarter of its population killed or kidnapped and, unlike other kibbutzim, the Israeli army did not arrive until after Hamas fighters and later waves of looters had already left.
The Guardian’s Bethan McKernan visited Nir Oz to see what was left of the kibbutz almost a year after the attacks that reignited violence across the Middle East
