Nahal Oz is just yards from Gaza. The gunmen showed no mercy, killing, kidnapping and starting fires to smoke people from their safe rooms
Nahal Oz, a kibbutz in southern Israel which is home to about 400 people, is so close to the Gaza Strip that the nearest Palestinian house in Sajaiya is just 600 metres away. Despite the hi-tech fences and buffer zone that separates them, the neighbours can see each other hanging the washing on the line.
Until the late 1980s, older members of Nahal Oz used to regularly drive a few miles west, to shop in Gaza City’s markets, eat the enclave’s famous seafood, or go for a walk on the Mediterranean coastline. Many still have friends in Gaza. Despite the Israeli blockade imposed in 2007, after the militant group Hamas seized control of the area, they kept in touch with calls and WhatsApp messages.
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